Inspired by London's Oxford Street, Karachi 'plans pedestrian-only roads'

Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab has said the city plans to designate certain roads as pedestrian-only zones, drawing inspiration from London's move to pedestrianise a stretch of its iconic Oxford Street.

Wahab said the London mayor had allocated a one-kilometre section of Oxford Street exclusively for pedestrians, a move that has received widespread appreciation.

He said political parties had not created legal hurdles to the closure of Oxford Street to vehicular traffic, highlighting the importance of cooperation in implementing such urban development initiatives.

Taking inspiration from the initiative, Karachi also plans to close selected roads to traffic and reserve them for pedestrians, the mayor said.

A stretch of London's famous shopping street, Oxford Street, was made permanently traffic-free last Monday (October 26), allowing pedestrians to take over an area previously used by vehicles, including the capital's iconic red double-decker buses and black cabs.

Around half of the street has been pedestrianised in the first phase, with plans to extend the restrictions to the remaining sections depending on the success of the initiative.