On the evening Oxford Street went traffic-free, Cllr Tim Barnes, Deputy Leader of Westminster City Council, joined BBC London's special programme live from Oxford Street to give the council's reaction to the Mayor's scheme.
"A disagreement over what is best for central London"
Asked about the Mayor's "battle" with Westminster, Tim said: "I don't think it's been so much a battle as a disagreement over what is best for Oxford Street and best for central London. The Mayor has prioritised the shopping avenue of Oxford Street. We want to take into consideration the much wider area."
"The real concern here is that the traffic that has been running until today has been traffic that's necessary for Oxford Street to work: buses, taxis, service vehicles, delivery vehicles. Those are still going to be needed and are going to have to go somewhere, and they're going to be displaced into the small streets around, which really can't take them. Our contention is that there's too much risk that the bad will outweigh the good."
Teething troubles, and the longer term
Westminster sits on the board of the Oxford Street Development Corporation, and Tim said the council could "do a great deal to inform what's happened" and had tried to influence the scheme, "some with more success than others". "We did say that we thought there would be ongoing problems with some of the cyclists who wouldn't necessarily behave when they saw the barriers and the marshals, and unfortunately that's some of what we've seen today."
"Many of those things will turn out to be teething troubles, but we're worried about the much longer-term impact, and whether or not we can ensure that this is good for all of London as well as just the international retailers who are here."
Soho licensing: "a bit of a power grab"
From November the Mayor takes on new licensing powers that cover Soho. Asked whether that was a power grab, Tim said: "I live in Soho, just a few minutes away from here, and I live there because I love to see the venues that we have around. I do think the Mayor is embarking on a bit of a power grab, and it isn't really necessary. We're here to support growth in the economy, for visitors and for residents, and we'd like to be doing more, not less."
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