In message , Jim Brown
writes
So its the most famous street in London where normal traffic isnt
allowed but it doesnt seem to be enforced at all leading to quite a
lot of supposedly banned traffic using it.

The official ban is for no vehicles except buses, taxis and cycles from
7 a.m. to 7pm. Monday to Saturday. The signs are meant to turn off
outside these times but frequently do not.

You can legally enter Oxford Street from Poland Street (forced left but
there is no ban on the U turn if you can do so without obstructing other
road users), Binney Street and Hills Place.

Or does it mean that traffic is banned except for unloading, local
access, disabled traffic, minicabs etc. so infact its much like a
normal road?

No one seems to enforce the rules so it gets progressively worse as
people get to know that they will not be stopped. It's the same in
Western Road, Brighton.

That's the trouble. With no one enforcing the rules there is a greater
and greater disregard for the law. This ends up with the authorities
saying that the problem is too great to deal with so that the problem
becomes progressively worse. That used to be the case when parking
enforcement was done by police controlled wardens, but with local
authority parking wardens now enforcing the rules there are now less
infringements. Perhaps there should be a similar system in place for
those who flout the laws in Oxford Street

Now don't get me started on those who use the bus lanes when they
shouldn't :-))

Mike

--
Mike Hughes
A Taxi driver licensed for London and Brighton
at home in Tarring, West Sussex, England