Oxford Street, London’s busiest shopping street, changes today, Monday 26 October 2026. The first section of the street becomes traffic-free, starting a long-planned transformation that is timed to be in place for the Christmas shopping period. If you shop, work, or travel through the West End, the change affects your journey from this morning, even though most of the wider rebuilding work is still to come.

WHAT HAPPENED

From today, a 0.9-kilometre section of Oxford Street between Orchard Street and Great Portland Street becomes completely traffic-free. Buses, taxis, private hire vehicles, cycles, pedicabs, e-bikes and e-scooters are excluded from that stretch. The change follows traffic diversions that began on Sunday evening, 25 October, ahead of the first pedestrianised section opening on Monday morning.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has described the move as the start of the real transformation of the nation’s high street, creating a new public space for retail, leisure and cultural events. The scheme is being delivered by Transport for London (TfL) in partnership with the Oxford Street Development Corporation.

WHAT IS BANNED, AND WHAT STAYS OPEN

The traffic-free rule covers through traffic in the Orchard Street to Great Portland Street section. It does not close the whole of Oxford Street, and it does not seal off the West End. North-south roads continue to cross Oxford Street, so people can still move across the area on foot and by other routes.

Mobility scooters remain permitted. Emergency vehicles retain access, and some servicing and cleaning vehicles retain access at specified times. Delivery and servicing vehicles may enter between midnight and 07:00, according to reporting on the access rules. In short: the street is for people on foot during the day, not a sealed-off zone, and the crossings and servicing arrangements are part of the design, not an afterthought.

WHICH BUSES MOVE, AND WHERE TO CATCH THEM

This is the change most regular travellers will feel first. Buses that used the pedestrianised section are diverted onto surrounding streets, with new stops planned on Wigmore Street, Henrietta Place and Cavendish Place. Alternative stops are reported to be approximately 200 metres from the pedestrian area, so allow a few extra minutes and agree a meeting point by shop entrance or station exit rather than by a familiar bus stop.

From 1am on Saturday 24 October, routes 7, N7, 94, N113 and N137 terminated at Marble Arch. From 8pm on Sunday, routes 98, 139, 390, N98 and N207 moved to alternative roads. Journey times will vary by route: route 98, for example, is forecast to see journey times increase by up to five minutes during peak periods. Other services also have stop or route adjustments, so check your exact service in TfL Go or Journey Planner before you travel, including the return journey, because a familiar route number does not necessarily mean the same boarding point.

WHY NOW

Oxford Street’s future has been debated for years. A pedestrianisation plan was announced by Mayor Khan in 2017 but was originally blocked by Westminster Council. The current scheme revived the idea, and in September 2026 the Government rejected Westminster City Council’s request for a full environmental impact assessment before the scheme went ahead, clearing the way for work to continue.

Westminster City Council has raised concerns about traffic being displaced onto surrounding roads, and about air quality, noise, access and public safety. Its deputy leader, Councillor Tim Barnes, has said residents and businesses still have unanswered questions about how the scheme will work in practice, and warned that traffic could be pushed onto small nearby streets. That disagreement is not settled by today’s opening: the first phase is deliberately a test, with data and feedback collected before permanent changes are designed.

TIMELINE AND CONTEXT

The initial changes are temporary in design, even though the direction of travel is permanent pedestrianisation. The test phase lets TfL and the Oxford Street Development Corporation learn how people actually use the space, and work closely with local communities, businesses and accessibility groups, before permanent improvements are designed.

The wider transformation is expected to be completed by spring 2027. Plans include more than 100 new seats and dining tables, more than 50 new trees, and two new public squares expected to be in place by the end of spring 2027. The transformation programme has been put at around £150 million, according to the Oxford Street Development Corporation budget described by City Hall. That figure concerns the whole programme, not simply the act of closing the road to traffic.

WHAT IT MEANS FOR SHOPPERS, WORKERS AND VISITORS

For shoppers, the immediate benefit is space: a stretch of Oxford Street without buses and taxis in the middle of it, just before the busiest trading weeks of the year. For people who work in the area, the change means relearning bus stops and delivery times, and possibly a slightly longer walk at either end of the journey.

For visitors from the United States and Canada, the practical point is the same as for Londoners: do not assume your usual bus stop is still in use, and check TfL’s planner for the day you travel. The pedestrianised section is between Orchard Street and Great Portland Street, not the whole street, so plan around that boundary. If you are meeting friends, pick a specific shop entrance rather than a bus stop as your meeting point.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

Three things to watch. First, the Christmas test: how the traffic-free section copes with peak shopping crowds, and whether displaced traffic causes the problems Westminster Council has warned about on surrounding streets. Second, the feedback phase: visitors and businesses will be asked for their views while the temporary arrangements are in place, and those views are meant to shape the permanent design. Third, the spring 2027 works: the new seats, trees and two public squares that turn a traffic restriction into a redesigned street.

If the test works, Oxford Street will look and feel very different by next spring. If it does not, the evidence from this winter will be the basis for changes, which is exactly why the first phase was designed as a test rather than a finished rebuild.

WHAT HAS NOT CHANGED

No change has been announced to the rest of Oxford Street outside the Orchard Street to Great Portland Street section, and no change to the wider London transport network beyond the diverted routes listed above. The scheme does not ban walking, shopping or working in the area, and it does not close the north-south crossings. Anyone reporting that the whole of Oxford Street is closed, or that all buses in central London have stopped, is overstating today’s change.

RELATED READING

Readers planning a trip around London this autumn may also find this useful: UK Clocks Go Back Today, 25 October 2026: What Changed, Why It Happened, and When the US Follows on 1 November

SOURCES

– Press Gazette news diary, 26 October to 1 November 2026: https://pressgazette.co.uk/news/news-diary-26-october-1-november-oxford-street-pedestrianisation-autumn-budget-charles-and-camilla-in-caribbean/

– Zag Daily, Oxford Street to go traffic-free from October: https://zagdaily.com/urban/oxford-street-to-go-traffic-free-from-october/

– TheIndustry.fashion, Oxford Street pedestrianisation to begin in October: https://www.theindustry.fashion/oxford-street-pedestrianisation-to-begin-in-october-ahead-of-christmas-shopping-rush/

– Dezeen, East unveils images of its plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street: https://www.dezeen.com/2026/10/08/oxford-street-pedestrianised-east/

– Energy Radio, Oxford Street pedestrianisation: dates and bus changes: https://energyradio.uk/oxford-street-goes-traffic-free-dates-bus-diversions-and-what-changes/