X marks the spot at Oxford Circus

Crossing the street in sentral London just got easier and safer

Travel Insurance News - 05/11/2009

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Getting across Oxford Circus just got easier, as a new diagonal crossing has opened. Many visitors and locals alike had previously found crossing the road in central London difficult and confusing.

However, the new crossing--which is based on those in Tokyo--stop traffic in all directions at the same time, allowing pedestrians to cross the junction diagonally in an "X" as well as walking straight ahead.

The new crossing was unveiled by London Mayor Boris Johnson earlier this week and has already proved to be a huge hit. In a recent interview, Mr. Johnson said that the new crossing was: "a triumph for British engineering, Japanese innovation and good old fashioned common sense. The head scratching frustration caused by the previous design is over and we've brought one of the world's greatest crossroads into the twenty-first century.”

The new junction has costs a cool £5,000,000 to complete and is able to cope with double the number of pedestrians as well as easing to overcrowding at the intersection, which is one of the busiest in the entire city.

At the unveiling, Boris Johnson paid homage to its Far Eastern inspiration by striking a two-metre high cymbal as Japanese musicians played taiko drums.

Devotees of cult Japanese Manga characters, who were dressed in colourful costumes, also unfurled a large X, formed by 60 meters of red ribbon.

The new crossing has been a long time coming as Oxford Circus is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, receiving more than 200 million visitors each and every year.

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