Editing Oxford Circus (section)

==Traffic==
{{wide image|Oxford circus panorama.jpg|800px|Panorama view of the Oxford Circus diagonal crossing, 2014}}
Oxford Circus is one of the busiest pedestrian crossings in London.<ref name=atkins/> In 1924, shipbuilder [[Alfred Yarrow]] proposed building a [[Interchange (road)|grade-separated junction]] to segregate traffic, paid for by his own funds. The offer was turned down by Westminster City Council.<ref>{{cite news|title=Sir Alfred Yarrow's Traffic Scheme|newspaper=The Times|date=16 April 1924|page=11|url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CS186717840/TTDA?u=kccl&sid=TTDA&xid=456e859f|access-date=13 February 2020|url-access=subscription}}</ref> In 1935, Westminster City Council proposed fitting pedestrian guard rails at the junction, restricting crossing in order to improve safety.<ref>{{cite news|title=Proposed Railings At Oxford Circus|newspaper=The Times|date=20 December 1935|page=11|url=https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CS186330516/TTDA?u=kccl&sid=TTDA&xid=e5374bba|access-date=13 February 2020|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

At the end of the 2000s, Oxford Circus had the highest pedestrian volumes recorded anywhere in London.<ref name="atkins" /> At the busiest times, over 40,000 pedestrians per hour pass through the junction, including those accessing the tube station. The average traffic flow is around 2,000 vehicles per hour during the week, and the junction operates at near capacity for most of the day with regular queues, particularly west along Oxford Street. 24 bus routes pass through Oxford Circus, and over 400 buses cross the junction on an average weekday. There are bus stops within {{convert|200|m}} on every arm of the crossing.<ref name=atkins>{{cite report|url=https://www.atkinsglobal.com/~/media/Files/A/Atkins-Global/Attachments/sectors/roads/library-docs/technical-journal-4/scrambled-pedestrian-crossings-at-signal-controlled-junctions-a-case-study.pdf|page=57|title='Scrambled' pedestrian crossings at signal controlled junctions – A case study|first=Chris|last=Greenwood|publisher=Atkins Global|access-date=11 February 2020|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304044604/http://www.atkinsglobal.com/~/media/Files/A/Atkins-Global/Attachments/sectors/roads/library-docs/technical-journal-4/scrambled-pedestrian-crossings-at-signal-controlled-junctions-a-case-study.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2009, [[Transport for London]] redesigned the intersection to facilitate a [[pedestrian scramble]]. The crossing opened in November and cost around £5&nbsp;million.<ref name=bbcx>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/8337341.stm|title=Oxford Circus X-crossing' opens|work=BBC News|date=2 November 2009|access-date=9 February 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/nov/02/x-oxford-circus-crossing|title=X marks the spot: new Oxford Circus crossing opens|newspaper=The Guardian|date=3 November 2009|access-date=9 February 2009}}</ref> It was inspired by street crossings in [[Tokyo]], and opened by the [[Mayor of London]], [[Boris Johnson]], who called the scheme "a triumph for British engineering, Japanese innovation and good old fashioned common sense".<ref name=bbcx/><ref name=londonist/> The scheme added an additional {{convert|312|m2}} of pedestrian space and removed the guard rail, adding 70% more capacity to the crossing.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/04/06/UK.urban.oxford.street.crossing/index.html|title=Londoners love Tokyo-style crossing|work=CNN|date=7 April 2010|access-date=18 February 2020}}</ref>