'Sadiq Khan is showing his ideological hostility to driving - his latest plan will harm economy and worsen congestion,' says Theresa Villiers

Banning buses and taxis from Oxford Street (a major route in London since it was built by the Romans around 2000 years ago) will worsen congestion in the neighbouring roads into which these vehicles will be displaced.

This proposal is the latest in a long stream of policies from Labour councils which have seen cars excluded from more and more road capacity.

The unnecessary congestion this generates is not only a cause of frustration to drivers, it harms our productivity.

It is an act of economic self-harm. Study after study show that an efficient and smoothly running transport system is one of the most effective ways to deliver economic growth.

If the Labour Government is serious about boosting growth, they should call a halt to measures which snarl up our road network, and they should start reversing them.

London has been particularly hard hit by this anti-mobility political dogma from Labour.

But the other towns and cities are also being increasingly subjected to similar measures, including streets blocked off for so-called Low Traffic Neighbourhoods, and speed limits brought down to just 20 miles an hour.

Oxford Street is certainly in need of a boost, but making it harder for shoppers to get there is hardly likely to deliver that.

Pedestrianisation of major shopping streets in other towns and cities has had very mixed results over recent years, with some becoming run down and depressing spaces.

The Mayor’s proposals will also deprive the elderly and people with mobility impairments of the option to get a bus right up to the entrance of the shop they wish to visit. The equalities impact of Labour’s anti-car policies are significant.

Of course encouraging cycling and walking can have health and environmental benefits. But we must not forget that not everyone has the capacity to use these active modes of travel.

Giving transport policy a disproportionate focus on cycling, as the Mayor of London so often has, ends up sacrificing the interests of the wider public to those of a relatively narrow group of people, a significant proportion of whom are middle class men.

Moreover, the environmental benefits of such schemes are often marginal at best. The Mayor’s hated Ulez expansion into the suburbs was assessed by Mr Khan’s independent impact assessment as likely to have only a negligible impact on air quality.

By concentrating traffic on to a few main roads, LTNs risk worsening air quality, to the detriment of the deprived communities who often live in such areas.

Many areas have seen the proliferation of 20mph limits. This is excessive and unjustified (especially on major routes such as Finchley Road or Park Lane).

Schemes that were originally envisaged as suitable for stretches of road directly outside schools now appear to be the default option for central London, even on empty roads late at night.

MORE FROM GBN MEMBERSHIP:

• UK used electric car market surpasses £1bn in value as number of EVs 'could more than double'
• 'Britain's problems are not unique - Starmer should count himself lucky he is not Michel Barnier'
• Could the UK be next to ban dangerous e-scooters?

Neither Mr Khan nor his Labour colleagues in local government seem willing to learn lessons from the backlash in Wales following the blanket imposition of 20mph limits.

The planning policy set by the Mayor seeks to stop parking spaces from being included in new housing developments.

He is also trying to build over park-and-ride schemes which enable people to park at their local station and access public transport. This seems like yet another way to punish people who depend on their cars to get around and make a living.

Cars are a means to enable people to live their lives as they want to. Without access to cars, many people would find it hard to see their friends and family.

Looking after elderly relatives and ensuring they can get out and about can become much more difficult without a car.

Many transport policies now being routinely pushed by Mr Khan and Labour not only make us less productive by clogging out our road network, they risk increasing social isolation.

This anti-car “groupthink” which has taken hold of so much of the transport establishment needs to be junked.