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Boris Johnson has told retailers he is willing to consider banning buses and cars from parts of Oxford Street but ruled out full pedestrianisation.

The Mayor also backed suggestions that the West End and Knightsbridge could introduce extended Sunday trading hours within a year.

Mr Johnson said: “I’m very keen to have a solution [to the buses], I’ve looked at all sorts of ideas — trams, and cable cars — but in the end, it’s a very successful product and sometimes there is no particularly brilliant answer.

“When you’ve got something that works as well as Oxford Street, you’d be foolish to try anything too radical… you need those buses for shoppers.” But his comments are at odds with the views of former Transport Commissioner Sir Peter Hendy, who said the arrival of Crossrail in 2018 was a “gamechanger” which could allow him to consider removing buses entirely.

About 270 buses an hour currently travel down Oxford Street, contributing to the world’s highest-recorded concentrations of nitrogen dioxide. Crossrail could reduce the need for so many buses, with 10 trains an hour travelling the length of the street.

Mr Johnson’s remarks came as he was meeting retail bosses, including the managing directors of Harrods and Selfridges, in Bond Street last night.

He said if London were to relax Sunday trading rules it would create 2,000 extra full-time jobs and double the cash ringing through tills on Sundays to £16 billion over the next decade.

Larger stores in England can only open for six hours on a Sunday. But in his Budget, George Osborne gave control over opening hours to local mayors and county councils. Smaller retailers are concerned they could lose business.

Sir Peter Rogers, chair of the New West End Company, representing businesses in the area, said the rules could come in next year. He added: “Life has changed and we need to change with it.”