Shadowing Practice: Can banning traffic really fix Oxford Street's problems? - Learn English Speaking with Video
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115 sentences
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This road has had vehicles of all kinds going down it for centuries, but now they're going to be completely banned.
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So will it make shopping here any better?
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Or are you put off anyway by things like phone snatchers, American candy stores, pickpockets, picky pockets,
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and has it all come too late to save the high street?
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Or is it actually about much, much more than just shopping?
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Take a ride with us.
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This actually feels quite historic.
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This is the last ever bus journey to go all the way down Oxford Street.
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From the 26th of October, it's the end of the road for cars, taxis, bikes, scooters, pedicabs and buses.
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And you know, this road has had motor traffic on it for more than a century.
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So this really is the end of an era.
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You're all here specially for this journey, aren't you?
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Yes, pretty much.
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It's making me emotional because I feel like this part of London has shaped London buses.
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I feel like this is the reason why a lot of tourists, you know, vacate to London.
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Also, is it quite celebratory that you all made it on Jules Pass?
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Yeah, it's an end of an era.
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It's a bit of history.
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Go in.
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This is one of the world's busiest shopping streets.
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Around half a million people, sorry, come here every single day.
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And it really feels like it at times when you're battling through the crowd,
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especially in the run -up to Christmas and it's not helped by the fact
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that so much space is taken up by the road but that is about to come to an end.
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So first things first, just to say it's not the whole of Oxford Street that's changing.
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Let me show you.
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So it's this bit here all the way here, nearly a kilometre.
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There's a gap here for Regent Street traffic to get through
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and then it ends here at the junction with Great Portland Street.
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It's a bit from Selfridges to Ikea.
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The whole project is set to cost 150 £50 million.
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But it won't just be getting rid of the traffic, by spring next year it'll also have added things like these.
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New seating, new green spaces, all in all much more space for you to shop in.
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Hello there ladies, we're from BBC London.
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Can we ask you about, so what do shoppers here think?
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It's safer, a lot of road accidents happen.
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And to be honest, who's really driving down here?
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You got those little tuk -tuk things?
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They'll be gone.
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Wait, what?
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As long as the alternative routes are up to scratch then I think, yeah, fine.
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It's It's a little bit hectic with all the cars right now.
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Is it going to make it better for you?
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Definitely way better because I think it's so crowded.
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Even though you'll have to say goodbye to the noisy pedicab.
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They're not going to be around the corner.
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You can get your music and your vibes from somewhere else.
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Literally, we are the vibes.
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We've also dug into some of the finer detail and found it's not quite as traffic free as you might have thought.
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I asked one of the bosses making the change.
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Traffic will be crossing through here.
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How are you going to keep pedestrians safe?
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One of the things we're going to have in place are security measures at those points.
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We're going to have gates in place and they're going to be manned
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so emergency vehicles can access the road anytime they want.
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But here's the thing.
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While all the extra space being planned might sound great, not everyone's happy about it.
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Some Londoners reckon that removing traffic from here might actually make things harder, especially taxi drivers.
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We're the iconic London cab.
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Can't beat us.
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Once they close it, I'm not sure that you're going to get value for money.
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Now that it's happening, how do you feel?
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I feel really apprehensive, to be honest with you.
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I'm trying to have a little bit of positivity, but I'm struggling because I just think the impact is going to be so devastating.
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The concern is that it's going to push some of the congestion to the smaller roads nearby?
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The smaller roads that typically wouldn't have had the traffic will now be traffic 24 -7.
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Ask yourself, are you going to sit in my cab in all
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this traffic to get from A to B where you can see nothing is moving?
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You'll say, I'm really sorry driver, we're not moving, I'm going to walk.
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And another thing, what about Londoners with mobility issues who rely on buses and taxis to get around?
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Well, there'll be taxi ranks 100 metres from the pedestrianised zone and new bus stops 200 metres from it.
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We've heard from a taxi driver who's worried about these plans
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and there are small businesses as well that are worried
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that is just going to push congestion out onto smaller streets and worsen the noise and air quality there.
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I mean, the first thing I would say is these are very valid concerns and we've been listening.
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Our modelling suggests that's not going to happen,
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but this is why it's important that what we're initially doing is part of a test and review phase.
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So one thing worth mentioning is that Oxford Street is already largely closed to private vehicles.
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So would a full vehicle ban really bring new life to this place?
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Is the issue the traffic and the crowds or is it something else that's putting people off coming here?
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Peaky Pockets!
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Peaky Pockets!
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Watch out your baggy!
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She tried to steal your baggy!
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When it happens there's little the victim can do.
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This area is known as a phone snatching hotspot.
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You've probably seen the videos of the thieves in action
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and I know loads of friends who've had.. their phones stolen right out of their hands.
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With that and the pickpockets and the vape shops and the American candy stores,
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are shoppers just turning to other London locations instead?
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Why have you chosen to shop here at Westfields rather than say going to Oxford Street?
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It's less crowded, easier to walk around.
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Oxford Street is just way too congested.
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People are just opting for online at the minute and I think that's the biggest battle.
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So yeah, a bigger question.
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When was the last time you actually bought something from here or any other high street rather than from here?
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As online shopping has grown, Oxford Street's lost big name stores like Debenhams,
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House of Fraser and now HMV's closing its flagship branch here soon.
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Will banning traffic really be enough to bring more shoppers out?
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Well, here's the thing.
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The idea is for you to want to spend more time as well as money in Oxford Street.
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The eventual plan is for space for public events.
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We've already had a sneak peek of this.
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Last year, Oxford Street went traffic -free for one day only, with food stalls, pop -ups and live music.
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It brought nearly 50 % more visitors than usual, according to those behind it.
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Maybe then, the future of Oxford Street is more than just shopping.
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So where does this leave us?
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After over a century of motor traffic here, Oxford Street is about to look very different.
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And once it does, could other parts of London follow in its footsteps?
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There are already similar plans for the West End near Piccadilly Circus.
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A lot of London's traffic -free future will be riding on how this historic change works out.
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But getting rid of vehicles is one thing, but making it a place that you want to spend more time?
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Well, that could be a bigger challenge.
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And we'll have to wait and see if all the extra space is enough to make that happen.
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Thank you.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Can banning traffic really fix Oxford Street's problems?”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: traffic, Oxford, road, London, space. This video has 115 sentences and 1314 words to shadow. The speech runs for 7:06. The speaker talks fast, about 185 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 87% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow. 24 of its 115 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| taxi noun | /ˈtæksi/ | A vehicle that may be hired for single journeys by members of the public, particularly one with an automated meter to calculate the fare. |
| pocket noun | /ˈpɑ.kɪt/ | A bag stitched to an item of clothing, used for carrying small items. |
| steal verb | /stiːl/ | To take illegally, or without the owner's permission, something owned by someone else without intending to return it. |
| candy noun | /ˈkæn.di/ | Crystallized sugar formed by boiling down sugar syrup. |
| vibe noun | /vaɪb/ | An atmosphere or aura felt to belong to a person, place or thing. |
| metre noun | /ˈmiːtəɹ/ | The basic unit of length in the International System of Units (SI: Système International d'Unités), equal to the distance travelled by light in a vacuum in… |
| congestion noun | /kənˈd͡ʒɛs.t͡ʃən/ | An accumulation or buildup, the act of gathering into a heap or mass. |
| gate noun | /ˈɡeɪ̯t/ | A doorlike structure outside a house. |
| rank noun | /ˈɹæŋk/ | A row of people or things organized in a grid pattern, often soldiers. |
| valid adjective | /ˈvælɪd/ | Well-grounded or justifiable, pertinent. |
| goodbye | /ɡʊdˈbaɪ/ | Farewell; a formula used to another person or persons when the speaker, writer, or person addressed is departing. |
| rely verb | /ɹɪˈlaɪ/ | To trust; to have confidence in; to depend. |
| anytime adverb | At any time. | |
| scratch verb | /skɹæt͡ʃ/ | To rub a surface with a sharp object, especially by a living creature to remove itching with nails, claws, etc. |
| iconic adjective | /aɪˈkɑnɪk/ | Relating to, or having the characteristics of, an icon. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| drive down verb | To cause or force a price, quantity, rate, etc. to decrease. | |
| get around verb | To move to the other side of (something, such as an obstruction) by deviating from a direct course or following a curved path. | |
| get through verb | /ɡɛt ˈθɹu/ | To overcome; to endure. |
| go down verb | To descend; to move from a higher place to a lower one. | |
| put off verb | To postpone, especially through procrastination. | |
| take up verb | To pick up. | |
| walk around verb | To walk with no planned destination; to meander. | |
| watch out | Used to warn someone of an imminent danger. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- You're all here specially for this journey, aren't you?
- Can we ask you about, so what do shoppers here think?
- You got those little tuk -tuk things?
- Is it going to make it better for you?
- How are you going to keep pedestrians safe?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has had · has shaped · have added |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is taken · is set · be manned |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 33 contractions and reduced forms, such as we're, I'm, we've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: specially /ˈspɛʃəli/, junction /ˈd͡ʒʌŋkʃən/, flagship /ˈflæɡʃɪp/, shopper /ˈʃɑ.pɚ/
- Long words — get the stress right: mobility /mə(ʊ)ˈbɪlɪti/, eventual /ɪˈvɛn.t͡ʃu.əl/, apprehensive /ˌæpɹɪˈhɛnsɪv/, celebratory /ˈsɛləbɹəˌtɔːɹi/, kilometre /kɪˈlɑmɪtəɹ/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like taxi, pocket, steal.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.