Busses should be banished from Oxford Street, according to a report by the London Assembly.

Ever since former Mayor Ken Livingston's investment in the bus network the West End thoroughfare has been choked with double deckers every rush hour - it already has the worst air quality in the capital.

The report says buses should be rerouted and is another victory for retail group, the New West End Company, who want the mile and a half long shopping mecca pedestrianised.

Up to 300 buses an hour share the road space with thousands of other vehicles, forcing traffic to move at an average speed of 4mph - by 2015 the Marble Arch to Tottenham Court Road route will have the worst air quality in the UK by 2015 if it was not resolved, the report said.

Shuttle buses and pedestrianising the street could be long-term solutions, it said.

TfL said it would consider the London Assembly's recommendations.

Bus accidents every 3.4 days

Accidents involving busses occur every 3.4 days on average in the Oxford Street, Regent Street and Bond Street area every 3.4 days on average.

Victoria Borwick, who led the Assembly's investigation, said:

"The wall of slow-moving metal running along Oxford Street tarnishes what should be a world-class shopping experience - delaying and endangering residents, workers and visitors.

A number of our contributors expressed concerns that current efforts to fix the situation are progressing slowly and ultimately may prove merely to scratch the surface.

It's time for the agencies involved to stop talking about solutions and actually put the work into a radical re-examination of central London bus routes so genuine improvements become a reality."

A TfL spokesperson said:

"Each week more than 1.4 million bus passengers travel to and along Oxford Street on our services, the majority of them are shoppers or are employed in the area. There is a clear passenger demand for services in this area which needs to be met.

The report also comes thick and fast off TfL's plans to cut the bus network down to size by 20% next year.

TfL added:

"Last year we reduced the number of buses on Oxford Street by 10%; a further 10% reduction will be delivered this year."

Photo - Flickr