Sadiq Khan’s vision of Oxford Street as a calm, pedestrian-friendly haven has run into trouble just days after the scheme began.
Promotional images depicted relaxed shoppers strolling beneath leafy trees, smiling as they browsed the displays and enjoyed a traffic-free boulevard.
The accompanying plans suggested that buses and other traffic would move smoothly through surrounding streets once vehicles were removed from Oxford Street.
Instead, scores of cyclists have been seen competing for space with pedestrians and speeding through the new zone while security guards looked on.
Black cab drivers have also complained that journeys through central London have become more difficult, with some trips taking an additional 20 minutes.
One video filmed in the evening appears to show dozens of cyclists, many of them young men or teenagers, ignoring the new restrictions and riding along Oxford Street as though nothing had changed.
“He’s given up,” one person can be heard laughing, apparently referring to a security guard standing with his arms extended beside the bollards.
The group had gathered at a crossing where cars are still allowed through the pedestrianised section before weaving through shoppers, prompting confusion and alarm.
Cyclists have ignored the new restrictions, with footage appearing to show them continuing to ride along Oxford Street
Online footage appears to show bikes weaving through startled shoppers in the pedestrianised zone
Bahrain “Baha” Mujagata, 21, believed to be London’s youngest black cab driver, has criticised Lord Khan’s scheme
Oxford Street was closed to cars, bicycles, buses and taxis from Monday morning
With loud music playing in the background, the scenes appeared a long way from the peaceful transformation promised to Londoners.
One of those well placed to judge the impact of the changes is Bahrain “Baha” Mujagata, who, aged 21, is thought to be London’s youngest black cab driver.
He said traffic had quickly built up on nearby roads and admitted he was already looking back fondly at “how it was before”.
Mr Mujagata told the Local Democracy Service: “Yesterday, I felt the real-time repercussions – there was so much traffic on Regent Street with nowhere else to go. Sitting in traffic that I used to bypass makes life much harder.
“Regent Street going northbound is very crowded, with a cycle lane on the left and a central reservation. If a bus stops to pick up passengers, you have to wait behind it. If it is like that at night, I can only imagine what it is like during the day.”
The cab driver said he was not opposed to pedestrianising Oxford Street in principle, but believed the current approach was flawed.
Mr Mujagata added: “We will evolve and get used to it, just as we do whenever a road or junction changes. But drivers who remember how it was before will always remember.”
At dawn on Monday, London Mayor Lord Khan posed for photographs in the middle of Oxford Street, stretching out his arms, waving to passing workers and looking upwards as the flagship project took effect.
Footage from Wigmore Street showed cars and buses backed up in heavy traffic
Warnings about congestion on roads surrounding Oxford Street appeared to be borne out
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Security guards told cyclists to dismount on the scheme’s first day, but compliance was inconsistent
New signs instructed cyclists to get off their bikes and walk through the pedestrianised area
Several hours earlier, green bollards had been placed at both ends of a 0.9-kilometre stretch of the shopping street, running from Selfridges department store to Ikea.
Even as security staff repeatedly ordered cyclists to dismount, riders continued to pass through the barriers and travel along the street, crossing a large green marking newly painted on the road.
Some observers suggested cyclists might need a day or two to adjust to the new rules. Subsequent footage indicated that the message had yet to get through.
Tim Barnes, Westminster City Councillor for Growth and Planning, told Our News Outlet after the launch: “We have been concerned from the outset that removing London’s main east-west route and directing traffic on to smaller roads behind it would inevitably create problems.
“You cannot take that volume of traffic out of central London and divert it on to roads that are narrower and less suited to large vehicles without expecting disruption.
“There were all sorts of complications last night. Traffic on Regent Street was backed up and, at times, remained stationary for so long that a large waste truck had to turn around and travel the wrong way up the street.
“On Wigmore Street, buses now have to make extremely difficult right-hand or 90-degree turns, which I believe could create problems for pedestrians and cyclists.
“I also think it is only a matter of time before we see more incidents involving cyclists and pedestrians on Oxford Street itself.”
Artist’s impressions of a pedestrianised Oxford Street contrast sharply with the scenes witnessed this week
Workers installed bollards at one end of Oxford Street as the pedestrianisation scheme began
Lord Khan said Oxford Street had been “in decline” for the past 20 years
The scheme has raised concerns that congestion, noise and pollution will simply shift to smaller residential roads, leaving nearby residents and businesses to absorb the effects of the Mayor’s flagship project.
Wigmore Street, Henrietta Place and Cavendish Place are among the roads now handling diverted bus services.
Transport for London confirmed that five routes – the 98, 139, 390, N98 and N207 – had been redirected on to surrounding roads, with additional stops introduced for passengers.
Other bus services have been shortened or altered, while taxis and private hire vehicles are no longer allowed to enter the pedestrianised section.
The disruption follows earlier warnings from Westminster City Council that the plans could create significant difficulties for residents, businesses and motorists.
Residents in nearby Marylebone had also expressed concern that their streets would become more congested after buses and other vehicles were diverted away from Oxford Street.
The Marylebone Association previously estimated that Wigmore Street could face about 46 additional bus movements each hour during peak periods.
Henrietta Place has also been adapted to carry traffic in both directions as part of the preparations.
The changes mark a major shift for one of Britain’s best-known shopping destinations, which attracts approximately 500,000 visitors every day.
