Calls to pedestrianise one of Britain’s most famous roads have won an influential new ally. Hot on the heels of opening Ikea’s first Oxford Street branch, Peter Jekelby, its UK boss, threw his support behind pedestrianisation, saying he thought banning cars would be “good for the street”.

London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, has been trying to pedestrianise the iconic West End shopping district since he first ran to be London mayor in 2016. Now he’s trying again, this time asking the government to give him extra powers to push through the plans. This decade-long power tussle over banning cars from less than a mile of one road isn’t unique to London. Across the UK, and around the world, pedestrianisation projects face similar challenges, but invariably follow a similar trajectory. First there’s frothing opposition, then angry media coverage. Then, finally, after years of wrangling, when the pedestrianisation is eventually realised, it is hailed as a big success.

The pedestrianisation of George Street in Sydney’s central business district was a success, boosting commercial property values. The banning of vehicles from the historic centre of Pontevedra in northern Spain was a success, eliminating road deaths. Making Brussels’ Boulevard Anspach car-free was a success, yielding more visitors and independent businesses. Even

© The Guardian