We filmed cyclists ignoring Oxford Street's new rules

An investigation by ITV News London found new rules banning traffic from Oxford Street are being repeatedly ignored by cyclists. Our cameras filmed for an hour during both the morning and evening rush hour and recorded a bike flouting the rules, on average, every five minutes. Ten days ago all traffic was banned to make the area safer, cleaner and more attractive for shoppers. But not everyone is sticking to the new regulations. "This was the big east west route and if you're going to take necessary traffic off, not just cyclists, but also the taxis and the buses and the delivery vehicles, you have to expect that that's going to need to go somewhere," said Tim Barnes, Conservative Deputy leader of Westminster Council. He added: "And not enough was done in order to be able to say where they go instead. "It's one of the reasons why we've had concerns about this project for so many years." Cyclists also told us of their own concerns and said alternative routes were not designed for bikes. Tom Fyans, from the London Cycling Campaign, warned one of the junctions cyclists are now using is "poorly designed" for people on bikes. He added: "There were thousands of cyclists using this [Oxford Street] route; it was very direct, and now we're being asked to go quite a long way to find a route that's not great. "We need much better cycling provisions on either side of Oxford street so that we can still get through in a safe and convenient way. "We need some proportionality. Cyclists are not the main danger on the streets. "We should obey the rules, we should walk our cycles on pedestrianised areas, but really we're not where the problem lies." The potential penalty for cycling on Oxford Street is £160 but so far no one has been fined. • Subscribe to ITV News on YouTube: http://bit.ly/2lOHmNj • Get breaking news and more stories at http://www.itv.com/news Follow ITV News on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@itvnews?lang=en Follow ITV News on Instagram:   / itvnews   Follow ITV News on Facebook:   / itvnews   Follow ITV News on X:   / itvnews