• WE are obviously pleased that Westminster City Council is now seriously considering improvements in the general Oxford Street area and are very willing to work with them to see some fundamental changes in the public realm so critical to pedestrians.

That does not mean we have abandoned our support for a pedestrianised street. Far from it as this is the only way to guarantee free passage without the awful pollution and horrifying collision statistics.

Fundamental to any scheme is a wholesale reduction in the number of vehicles using the West End. This can be achieved by numerous methods including filtering traffic away from residential streets, increasing parking charges and introducing seven-day parking restrictions and closing many of the minor roads to traffic particularly those that abut Oxford Street itself.

Now is also the time to consider closing some of the prominent car parks owned and controlled by the council. Many of the private ones have shut anyway because of the pressures of commercial development with no material effect on the prosperity of the West End.

So Westminster Council needs to be big and bold and phase them out as they are absolutely no part of a modern transport policy as they only encourage motorists to drive into central London to cause even more congestion.

Cavendish Square car park is probably the most glaring example. This lovely square has been ruined by the car park and there is little point in spending, as planned, vast sums of taxpayers’ money on improvevements if the car park remains open.

PETER HARTLEY
Chair, Westminster Living Streets