A new pedestrian crossing has been opened in Oxford Circus this morning by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson. Modeled on the Shibuya crossing in Western Tokyo, it allows pedestrians to cross diagonally as well as straight ahead.

In addition to the new crossing, the entire area is being redeveloped with ease of use for pedestrians in mind. At Oxford Circus, street clutter and barriers have been removed, allowing visitors 70% more space to move and creating space around the Underground exits. New lighting and wider pavements are also being introduced on both Regent Street and Oxford Street.

Boris Johnson calls the new crossing ‘A triumph for British engineering, Japanese innovation and good old fashioned common sense’. But is it a functional triumph? With 40 million Christmas shoppers expected in the next 6 weeks, we will soon find out.

Image courtesy of Helen Duffett on flickr