Request ID: FOI-0925-2122 Date published: 01 September 2021
You asked
1) As it has been confirmed that Oxford Street will be pedestrianised by the end of this year, what impact will this have on bus routes?
2) Following on from Q1, what bus routes (if any) will be removed from Oxford Street?
3) The two bus routes that cover the full length of Oxford Street from Tottenham Court Road - Marble Arch are routes 98 & 390. How will they continue to operate following the pedestrianised Oxford Street?
4) Will routes 55 & 73 + 7 & 113 continue to serve Oxford Street?
5) If any changes are to be made to bus routes will a public consultation be launched?
We answered
TfL Ref: FOI-0925-2122 Thank you for your request of 10th August 2021 asking for information about buses on Oxford Street. Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm that we hold the information you require. Your questions are answered in turn below: Question 1) As it has been confirmed that Oxford Street will be pedestrianised by the end of this year, what impact will this have on bus routes? Answer: For clarity, Westminster Council’s plan is to part-pedestrianise Oxford Street to create two piazzas either side of Oxford Circus, diverting all motor and cycle traffic north into the side streets of Fitzrovia and Marylebone. This will affect most of the stopping and standing locations for a number of routes that finish in the Oxford Circus area, and through-routes will be diverted around the closed section of roads between Oxford Circus and John Prince’s Street and Oxford Circus and Great Portland Street. More detail is given below in answer to your more specific questions. Question 2) Following on from Q1, what bus routes (if any) will be removed from Oxford Street? Answer: Routes 113 and 159 will no longer run on Oxford Street and neither will route 94 (it will run between North Row and Acton Green). These changes will happen prior to the scheme being introduced. We consulted on these changes previously as part of the original Oxford Street Transformation Project. Question 3) The two bus routes that cover the full length of Oxford Street from Tottenham Court Road - Marble Arch are routes 98 & 390. How will they continue to operate following the pedestrianised Oxford Street? Answer: Both of these routes will be diverted via Oxford Street, Great Portland Street, Margaret Street, John Prince’s Street back to Oxford Street in both directions. Question 4) Will routes 55 & 73 + 7 & 113 continue to serve Oxford Street? Answer: Routes 55 and 73 will continue to serve Oxford Street, east of Oxford Circus and route 7 will continue to serve Oxford Street west of Oxford Circus. Route 113 will not serve Oxford Street in future and will terminate at Marble Arch instead, with same stop interchange onto route 139 on Baker Street available for trips to/from Oxford Circus. Question 5) If any changes are to be made to bus routes will a public consultation be launched? Answer: Westminster Council has consulted on the wider scheme to pedestrianise Oxford Circus and confirmed it is going ahead with the changes. This consultation included consideration of the impacts on bus users. As a consequence, TfL will now further engage with stakeholders around these impacts ahead of their introduction. If this is not the information you are looking for please do not hesitate to contact me. Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed. Yours sincerely, David Wells FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
