Oxford Street has been ranked as the most important retail location in Britain and the busiest shopping street in Europe.
The pavements are congested because of shoppers and tourists, many of whom arrive at a tube station, and the roadway is regularly blocked by buses.

There is heavy competition between foot and bus traffic on Oxford Street, which is the main east-west bus corridor through Central London.
Around 175,000 people get on or off a bus on Oxford Street every day, along with 43,000 further through passengers.
Taxis are popular, particularly along the stretch between Oxford Circus and Selfridges.
Between 2009 and 2012, there were 71 accidents involving traffic and pedestrians.
In 2016, a report suggested buses generally did not travel faster than 4.6 miles per hour (7.4 km/h), compared to a typical pedestrian speed of 3.1 miles per hour (5.0 km/h).

There have been several proposals to reduce congestion on Oxford Street.
Horse-drawn vehicles were banned in 1931, and traffic signals were installed the same year.
To prevent congestion of buses, most of Oxford Street is designated a bus lane during peak hours and private vehicles are banned.
This is only open to buses, taxis and two-wheeled vehicles between 7:00am and 7:00pm on all days except Sundays.
The ban was introduced experimentally in June 1972 and was considered a success, with an estimated increase of £250,000 in retail sales.
However, the area is popular with unregulated rickshaws, which are a major cause of congestion in the area.
Their slow speed, coupled with the narrowness of the street (buses are unable to pass them, causing long traffic queues) only add to the traffic woes.
In 2009, a new diagonal crossing opened at Oxford Circus, allowing pedestrians to cross from one corner of Oxford Street to the opposite without needing to cross twice or use an underpass.
This doubles the pedestrian capacity at the junction.
Oxford Street has been ranked as the most important retail location in Britain and the busiest shopping street in Europe. The pavements are congested because of shoppers and tourists, many of whom arrive at a tube station, and the roadway is regularly blocked by buses.
There is heavy competition between foot and bus traffic on Oxford Street, which is the main east-west bus corridor through Central London. Around 175,000 people get on or off a bus on Oxford Street every day, along with 43,000 further through passengers. Taxis are popular, particularly along the stretch between Oxford Circus and Selfridges. Between 2009 and 2012, there were 71 accidents involving traffic and pedestrians. In 2016, a report suggested buses generally did not travel faster than 4.6 miles per hour (7.4 km/h), compared to a typical pedestrian speed of 3.1 miles per hour (5.0 km/h).
There have been several proposals to reduce congestion on Oxford Street. Horse-drawn vehicles were banned in 1931, and traffic signals were installed the same year. To prevent congestion of buses, most of Oxford Street is designated a bus lane during peak hours and private vehicles are banned. This is only open to buses, taxis and two-wheeled vehicles between 7:00am and 7:00pm on all days except Sundays. The ban was introduced experimentally in June 1972 and was considered a success, with an estimated increase of £250,000 in retail sales. However, the area is popular with unregulated rickshaws, which are a major cause of congestion in the area. Their slow speed, coupled with the narrowness of the street (buses are unable to pass them, causing long traffic queues) only add to the traffic woes. In 2009, a new diagonal crossing opened at Oxford Circus, allowing pedestrians to cross from one corner of Oxford Street to the opposite without needing to cross twice or use an underpass. This doubles the pedestrian capacity at the junction.
Oxford Street