‘Please, no more cuts to public transport’

• THERE was a consultation about the pedestrianisation of Oxford Street and the response of local residents, community groups and business made it clear – it is not an option.

This was not a betrayal, as the Mayor of London claims. His actions are questionable in the way in which he is decimating our integrated transport system by cutting bus routes, rerouting popular buses and reducing the service.

The leader of Westminster City Council proposes improvements to Oxford Street to include reduced buses and more green taxis. Please, no more cuts to public transport. Mayor Sadiq Khan emphasises “green” buses – so more “green” buses and fewer taxis is the way forward.

The closure of House of Fraser cannot be used as an excuse for the paving over of Oxford Street (or the lack of it). Department stores are in decline because of rapidly changing shopping habits.

Westminster City Council and the mayor must find a more holistic solution to stop the decline of Oxford Street as a “destination” and stop the proliferation of tourist tat shops.

Westfield is a purpose-built shopping mall but, unlike Oxford Street, it is not a transport hub and cannot be used as a like-for-like comparison when criticising the rejection of the Mayor of London’s “no-vehicle” vanity plan for Oxford Street.

ETHAN PODD
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