Forum Topic

Vehicle-free Soho

The mind simply boggles.https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/oxford-street-cyclists-critical-mass-protest-sadiq-khan-pedestrianisation-b1303200.html

David Lesniak ● 7h7 Comments

Soho was made motor vehicle free a long time back, like 30 years ago, it was great, but the morotrists won it back.Then again during covid, again it was great, but again the morotists won it back.Clearly it's next to go motor vehicle free though, it makes total sense.On Oxford Street, Marlene in the article here gets it mostly  right (it was important to get the pedestrianisation in as fast as possible above everything else IMO).Marlene, another participant, said "Oxford Street belongs to people. Taking out motor traffic is a positive step, but banning cycling without first providing safe and direct alternatives along parallel roads either north or south of the closed part is not a sustainable transport policy.

Paul James ● 5h

What a surprise. A cyclist says they want more cycling infrastructure. Normal people think otherwise Paul.The reason Oxford Street is closed to all traffic, including bikes, is to make it completely safe for pedestrians. Putting a bike lane in would negate that. As even you know many cyclists find it impossible to stop for pedestrians, even when there are lights and dedicated crossings installed.There are plenty of safe routes adjacent to Oxford Street that bike babies can use. Get over it.

Simon Hayes ● 2h

"Soho was made motor vehicle free a long time back," Absolute cobblers Even before the 80s and early 90s, they floated the idea of paving the "square mile", as they called it, before I lived just off Broadwick Street and then just off Golden Square. The so-called square mile was Shaftesbury Avenue to Oxford Street and then Regent Street to Charing Cross Road. It was deemed a stupid idea then and before. And is a stupid idea now. Oh yes, Paul, when was this so-called van full of Semtex on Oxford Street then? You never answered ?

Julian Pavey ● 1h

I absolutly recall late 90s early 2000s there was quite a lot of hoo ha about motor vehicle restrictions in Soho, old compton street (so it made soho an LTN effectively). It got canned by the council.

Paul James ● 50m

So no Semtex, then. Twice, you have not answered, so to be polite. You just made it up as an argument; I take it

Julian Pavey ● 43m

>Paul, when was this so-called van full of Semtex on Oxford Street then?I recall I got home once and it was all over the news that the area had been shut due to a van with explosives near the crossroads at the east end of Oxford Street, I remember it because the cameras were pointing down the bit of the street I'd walked home from.That and all the other stuff that went on. Sometimes going out for lunch there was a risk as you might not be able to make it back to the building due ot police tape. Many incidents some involved real bombs, others just threats,I also saw the aftermath of the Admiral Duncan bomb.So, the idea that a bunch of young kids riding on slowly bikes down a pedestriansed Oxford Street are somehow terrorising people, as per the video on the other thread needs a serious dose of perspective considering what used to go on round there.

Paul James ● 37m

No, I didn't ever know what the explosive material was and I picked one of the favourites used by the IRA at the time.

Paul James ● 36m