Karachi plans pedestrian-only roads after London’s Oxford Street model: mayor

Karachi is considering closing selected roads to vehicular traffic and turning them into pedestrian-only zones, Mayor Murtaza Wahab has said, citing London's recent move to pedestrianise part of Oxford Street.

Wahab said the London mayor had designated a one-kilometre stretch of the famous shopping street exclusively for pedestrians, an initiative that had received widespread appreciation.

He also pointed out that political parties had not created legal obstacles to the closure of Oxford Street to vehicles, stressing the need for cooperation to implement urban development projects.

Taking inspiration from the London initiative, Karachi would also identify roads that could be reserved for pedestrians, the mayor said.

Oxford Street was permanently closed to traffic on October 26, barring vehicles from a stretch previously used by buses, black cabs and other traffic.

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