(EMAILWIRE.COM, April 16, 2009 ) London, UK - Trying to cross the street in Oxford Circus is tantamount to disaster – but now a Japanese inspired makeover will pedestrianise part of the Central London tourist and shopping hotpot, giving visitors the freedom to get around the area more safely and quickly…
Work is to begin on the £5 million pedestrian crossing for one of the world's busiest intersections very soon.
Oxford Circus, where London’s two main shopping streets - Oxford Street and Regent Street – meet, is one of the most popular destinations in the world, attracting more than 200 million visitors million visitors from all over the world each year.
The new design, which will allow shoppers to walk across Oxford Circus diagonally for the first time, has been inspired by a crossing currently used at the Shibuya crossing in Tokyo. As Tokyo is one of the worldÂ’s busiest cities, they are well used to having to think outside the box to cope with huge numbers of foot traffic.
LondonÂ’s new crossing will give pedestrians the freedom to move around quickly both straight ahead and diagonally - across both Regent Street and Oxford Street.
Street clutter and barriers at the junction of Oxford Street and Regent Street will also be removed and more space will be created around the crowded entrances to Oxford Circus Tube station.
As part of the works, more than 500 metres of Regent Street and Oxford Street is also being redesigned with wider pavements and new lighting.
Traffic lights will be rephased so that vehicles from all four directions will be stopped simultaneously for 30 seconds allowing people to walk safely across the junction diagonally.
The new crossing and other revamps form a key part Westminster City CouncilÂ’s plans to renew the West End ahead of London's Olympic Games in 2012.
Councillor Danny Chalkley, Westminster City Council’s Cabinet Member for environment and transport, said, “Taking our inspiration from the Far East makes perfect sense as the Japanese have perfected the art of managing large numbers of people through good design and engineering, and the West End, like Tokyo's Shibuya district, is a fashion and entertainment hub which attracts visitors in huge numbers.
“This new crossing, which will transform Oxford Circus and ensure visitors who emerge from the Tube are impressed by what greets them, is part of a whole series of improvements taking place to ensure the West End looks truly world class in time for 2012,” added Mr Chalkley.
Oxford CircusÂ’ new look will be unveiled in November just in time for the switching on of the annual Christmas lights.
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