Oxford Street Closure for Christmas Shopping

Just great! I arrived with some friends who were visiting London for the day. We wanted to get a bus which normally would travel along Oxford St but when we arrived there in the pouring rain we discovered that wasn't possible. Not only that but we weren't allowed into Tottenham Court Rd tube for some reason (probably too many people because the buses weren't running!). We couldn't find any information locally about the buse services. Sure its a good idea to make Oxford St a better place to shop (the eastern section really is a dump) but there has to be a balance between that and people needing to get around by public transport (which is what we're being encouraged to do)