Improving walking and cycling across Hertfordshire (Active Travel Fund and Capability Fund)

We are currently delivering improvements to the High Street in Old Town Stevenage. 

The project aims to:

• Create a safer, more pleasant place for everyone to enjoy and spend time in.
• Make it easier and more convenient for people to walk, wheel and cycle in the area.
• Carry out extensive road resurfacing, pavement improvement and drainage works. 

The project is being delivered in phases. 

The first phase was delivered at the northern end of the High Street and completed in early November 2025 to deliver a raised crossing outside The Cromwell, and a new continuous footway crossing at the Bell Lane junction.

The second phase of construction was delivered in May 2026 at the southern end of the High Street and delivered a new junction to replace the mini roundabout, a new zebra crossing, a wider shared-use path by Holy Trinity Church and two new trees.

The main phase of construction is now underway, and the project is currently expected to complete in early 2027, although this is subject to change. 

Full details of the project can be found on its storymap.

We recently sought your feedback on our plans for High Street, Market Hill, Baldock Road and Bowling Green Lane in Buntingford Town Centre.

The public consultation on our updated designs ran for 6 weeks from 16 March to 26 April.

We are now analysing all responses received and would like to thank those who took part.

Our plans aim to:

• Improve accessibility to make it easier to travel through the town centre.
• Make it easier for people to get around by providing a series of new and improved crossing points.
• Improve safety near schools and in the town centre.
• Maintain the town’s heritage and create welcoming and sociable spaces.
• Provide safer access to Edwinstree School, Freman College and other community spaces on Bowling Green Lane.

Following the 2024 consultation, we have listened to your feedback and updated our designs accordingly.

Changes to the design include:

• Retaining the tree outside the Black Bull
• A reduction in parking loss
• Removal of the loading bay
• Removal of raised features in High Street and Baldock Road
• A re-routed shared-use path along Market Hill

We have also retained popular features such as:

• Two new and two upgraded crossings
• Refurbished and rearranged benches

George Street in St Albans was one of several locations in Hertfordshire where High Street Recovery projects were initiated in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. These modifications created additional space for walking and cycling, aiding social distancing in line with the Government’s emerging guidance at the time.

George Street is now one way from Verulam Road to Romeland Hill. It is closed to traffic from 11am Saturday through to 7am Monday. We have made permanent a Traffic Regulation Order based on this arrangement with revised loading and a contraflow cycle lane. In January 2025, the project board took the decision to retain the current arrangement after 72.7% of consultation respondents supported these measures.

We are now looking to reinforce these changes with public realm and accessibility improvements to this historic street, which will help reinforce the current arrangement, aiding connectivity for people travelling on foot and by bike between the city, St Albans School, the Cathedral Quarter, Verulamium Park and Museum and St Michael’s.

The Nickey Line is a walking and cycling route connecting Hemel Hempstead and Harpenden via Redbourn. It is part of the National Cycle Network. There are currently uncontrolled crossings of the busy A5183 and B487 by Redbourn, which discourages use of the route for all ages and abilities.

Two toucan crossings located around the roundabout at this location would aim to enhance accessibility and connectivity, particularly for pupils of Roundwood Park School who would like to walk and cycle, and Redbourn residents commuting via Harpenden Station.

We have commissioned a project to improve wayfinding for people walking, wheeling and cycling in Stevenage. The town benefits from a substantial bespoke network of footpaths and cycle tracks, maintained by Hertfordshire County Council as part of its highway network, which intersect and provide easy links between residential areas, schools, industrial zones and other trip generators. Allowing for the general national increase in working from home, the censuses in 2011 and 2021 suggest that walking, cycling and public transport use are all decreasing, and car use is increasing.

In Stevenage, where they are installed, signs for people walking and cycling are a disparate mix of different designs showing mileages or estimated times. The Local Cycling & Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) in Stevenage was the first to be adopted in Hertfordshire in 2019, and its corridors structure provides a template with which to design a network that also incorporates National Cycle Network route 12 passing through north-to-south.

The project will:

• propose a new network which incorporates new residential and industrial areas being built in Stevenage;
• provide a consistent approach to signing locations and distances for people walking and cycling;
• capture input from residents and stakeholders, both from people who walk and cycle regularly and from others who prefer to make journeys by car;
• be implemented in a first phase on the North Road corridor, north of Stevenage town centre, integrating into recently built and upcoming highways schemes which benefit from ATE, BSIP and s106 funding, then be implemented across the rest of the town.

We are working in partnership with Watford Borough Council to deliver enhancements to the active travel facilities within Watford. 

Watford Borough Council have developed the Watford Green Loop, a continuous cycling and walking route spanning 6.5 miles that encircles Watford town centre.

The route connects Watford Junction, a busy transport hub, to green open spaces such as Cassiobury Park and heritage sites using parts of the National Cycle Network Route 6 and Ebury Way. 

The enhancements are split into separate schemes.

Full detail of each scheme can be found on the project storymap.  

Thomas Sawyer Way

A new toucan crossing at Thomas Sawyer Way has been constructed and opened on Wednesday 18 March.

It has made it easier and safer to cross the road, improving links between Oxhey Park and the town centre for people walking, wheeling and cycling.

 Full details of the complete project can be found here: project storymap.

Following successful formal consultation and positive engagement, we are now building improvements at the London Road / Mardleybury Road junction in Woolmer Green.

When complete these works will improve the walking experience in the area by providing:

• A new, safer signalised junction and crossings
• A reduction in the speed limit through Woolmer Green from 40pmh to 30mph
• Widened pavements in front of and around St Michael’s Primary School
• New village gateway signs at the northern end of Woolmer Green.

Owing to emergency works by Affinity Water further along Mardleybury Road towards Datchworth, we have had to postpone the proposed junction works at London Road/ Mardleybury Road. These were originally due to take place between Monday 1st September and Friday 12th September. These will now take place during the week commencing 15th September. An overnight road closure will be in place at the London Road / Mardleybury Road Junction from 20:00 to 05:00. 

Project background

The works in Woolmer Green are the first phase of a wider programme to improve options for people to make journeys by bike, bus, cycle, walking or wheeling between Welwyn Garden City and Stevenage along the B197 via Oaklands, Woolmer Green and Knebworth.

This sustainable transport corridor aims to improve sustainable transport options for communities along the corridor to schools, train stations, as well as key local destinations including shops, places of worship and community centres. Our strategic objectives and next steps are presented in our B197 Community & Stakeholder Prospectus Document (PDF 2.43MB).

Following representations from the local communities in Oaklands and Woolmer Green we prioritised and consulted on specific proposals for safer routes to Oaklands Primary School and St Michael’s Primary School (Woolmer Green). The plans were strongly supported by the community as detailed in the Oaklands and Woolmer Green Consultation Report (PDF 5.55MB) and we are now building the proposals in Woolmer Green as set out above.

We are continuing to work on the design of crossings and footway enhancements in Oaklands. There are additional complications with flooding issues that require further investigation prior to finalising plans and future delivery.

We also plan to progress with localised 30mph speed limits through Oaklands subject to successful completion of the relevant legal processes which will be undertaken in the coming months.

We will also be launching a further feasibility study to examine how we can achieve our strategic vision to deliver a sustainable transport corridor along the B197 from Welwyn Garden City to Stevenage.

Find out more about the B197 Woolmer Green project.

The new quietway along Buncefield Lane provides a consolidated, safe, easy and attractive walking and cycling route, linking homes and workplaces in Leverstock Green, Maylands and Woodhall Farm.

The new corridor also provides onward connections via the Nickey Line (National Cycle Network Route 57) to Redbourn and Harpenden.

The new Dutch-style roundabout at Boundary Way, featuring dedicated space for cycling, new crossing points and wider footways, connects the two completed sections of the quietway along Buncefield Lane, providing a junction that is safer and more inclusive of all road users.

Construction of the roundabout at Boundary Way was completed on time on 3 June 2025. With up to 11,000 new homes and 10,000 new jobs to be provided in the area by 2050, we need to provide more viable walking and cycling options, particularly for shorter journeys, to help reduce congestion as the local population grows.

Alongside other infrastructure improvements in the area, the projects have been delivered to link new and existing residential areas with key destinations, and offer alternatives to car use for short, everyday journeys. 

More about the Hemel Hempstead schemes

We have delivered a series of improvements at Jarman Park to improve the walking, wheeling and cycling facilities in the area. This has made it easier for people of all ages, and abilities, to travel actively with confidence through to Jarman Park and its retails facilities, and on to other key locations in Hemel Hempstead.

The second phase of the project completed in May 2026 and delivered a new toucan crossing over Jarman Way (leading into Jarman Park). It also upgraded the existing signalised crossing at Bennetts End Road to a Toucan Crossing and widened the footpath between these two crossings to create a new shared-use walking and cycling path.

The first phase of the project completed in October 2024 and provided a new signalised toucan crossing over the A414 enhancing access for people walking and cycling between residential areas to the north and key local destinations, including the shops, and leisure facilities, at Jarman Park. This step-free crossing provides an alternative to the existing footbridge, benefiting vulnerable users and those crossing with prams, mobility scooters, or bicycles.

For more information on the completed project, and details of both phases, you can visit the story map here: Jarman Park

Following a petition by the local community to improve road safety at Brickendon Lane, a new zebra crossing has been installed near the junction with Mandeville Road to provide a safer route to schools and the town centre for local residents. The scheme also plays a crucial part in joining up our network of footpaths to provide better accessibility for all.

In addition to the crossing improvements, we have introduced traffic calming measures to slow vehicle speeds, with a cycle bypass, to create a safer environment for local residents choosing to use sustainable and active travel options. We have also cut back vegetation at the junction with Mandeville Road to improve visibility and upgraded bus stops.  

The improvements were delivered in August 2023 as part of our Safer Routes to School programme, which promotes safer and healthier ways of travelling to and from school. 

This scheme was implemented in April 2023 providing a new signalised crossing near the junction with Croft Lane.

This has improved safety and access to St Nicholas Primary School and local shops.

The main improvements to Marlborough Road and Upper Marlborough Road are now complete. Funded by the Active Travel Fund, the scheme has introduced a range of upgrades to make walking, wheeling and cycling safer, easier and more appealing in St Albans. These improvements align with Hertfordshire’s Local Transport Plan and Sustainable Hertfordshire Strategy, which aim to support greener, healthier ways of getting around. 

Find out more about the Marlborough Road project

A new two-way cycle route along the eastern side of North Road between Coreys Mill Lane and the A602 Lytton Way gyratory has now been installed, along with new crossing facilities and better signage to local routes.

The scheme was successfully delivered in February 2024 and provides a safe and efficient route for people walking, cycling and wheeling to the hospital, schools, Stevenage High Street, surrounding countryside and existing cycle routes, including National Cycle Network Route 12.

More information about the North Road project

Now that the walking and cycling improvements along North Road have been completed, we are now delivering a project to improve road safety and increase visibility at the junction of B197 Graveley Road and North Road. More information about our road safety project.

We are working in partnership with Watford Borough Council to deliver enhancements to the active travel facilities within Watford.

Watford Borough Council have developed the Watford Green Loop, a continuous cycling and walking route spanning 6.5 miles that encircles Watford town centre.

The route connects Watford Junction, a busy transport hub, to green open spaces such as Cassiobury Park and heritage sites using parts of the National Cycle Network Route 6 and Ebury Way. 

The enhancements are split into separate schemes at three key locations: 

• Thomas Sawyer Way 
• St Johns Road 
• Lower High Street 

A section of the Watford Green Loop crosses Thomas Sawyer Way near its junction with Dalton Way. 

Previously to cross the road here, users of the Watford Green Loop had no choice but to use an unsignalised crossing that involved waiting on an island in the middle of the carriageway, which created safety issues. 

To improve this, we constructed a new toucan crossing - a crossing that can be used by those walking, wheeling or cycling. 

Construction began on Monday 23 February and completed on Wednesday 18 March.

Full details of our improvements at Thomas Sawyer Way can be found on the project storymap.

Road safety improvements on Water Lane at the junction with High Street in Watford have been successfully delivered. 

Following concerns about the safety of people walking and cycling in this area, we have rearranged the junction to encourage slower vehicle speeds and improve visibility. 

The improvements

• The existing two-lane approach to the junction with High Street has been reduced to one, and the footway on the northern side of Water Lane widened;
• A raised table has been constructed at the junction to encourage slower vehicle speeds;
• Better signage has been installed on Water Lane approaching High Street to make those who drive more aware of people cycling and walking along High Street.

Funded by the Government’s Active Travel Fund, the improvements complement the existing cycle networks through the heart of the town centre, with onward connections to Cassiobury Park to the north and the National Cycle Network Route 61 to the south. 

For more details view the Water Lane construction plan (PDF 486KB)

This project was successfully completed in September 2022. The scheme replaced the previous temporary cycle lane with a new wider shared use pavement. The Wiggenhall Road project received good levels of support (76%) during our public consultation in summer 2021.

In partnership with Watford Borough Council, the cycle path through Riverside Park has also recently been resurfaced. These sections now connect and form part of the national cycle network.

More about the active travel fund schemes in Watford

As part of our Safer Routes to School programme, the improvements at Digswell Park Road offer a safer and more convenient route for people walking, wheeling and cycling to schools, shop and Welwyn North train station. This includes accessible connections between residential areas, schools, and local amenities.

Construction began on 14 August 2023 and was successfully completed on 23 September 2023.

Key improvements:

• A new signalised toucan crossing over Bessemer Road provides a safe pathway for pedestrians, cyclists and wheelchair users, facilitating easy access between the existing shared-use path on Bessemer Road and Digswell Park Road.
• A new zebra crossing over Hertford Road and an additional section of shared-use path linking into Harmer Green Lane provides onward connections to Welwyn North and the surrounding countryside.
• To enhance the safety of the new crossing, speed cushions have been placed along Hertford Road to slow vehicles as they approach the junction with Digswell Park Road.
• The speed limit on Digswell Park Road between Bessemer Road and Hertford Road has been reduced to 20mph. The road remains closed to motor vehicles, providing a traffic-free route for people walking, wheeling and cycling.

More about the Digswell Park Road scheme, including a map.

Building on the success of the completed Stonehills Square project, we delivered improvements to further enhance the town centre and make travelling to, from and around Welwyn Garden City easier and safer for people walking and cycling.  

We have delivered:

• Dedicated space for cycling on Bridge Road, Wigmores North and Fretherne Road to make it safer to cycle in and out of the town centre.
• Crossing improvements over Osborn Way and around Howardsgate to improve access around the gardens.
• A town centre wide 20mph zone to create a calmer town centre environment.

More about the Welwyn Garden City town centre scheme

As part of our Safer Routes to School programme, the improvements at Codicote Road provide safer and more accessible connections between residential areas, schools, and local amenities.

Delivery of new walking facilities at Codicote Road Roundabout started on 14 August and was completed in early December 2023.

The project has delivered:

• Two new raised zebra crossings on Lower Luton Road and Codicote Road to improve connections between residential areas, schools and local amenities.
• Speed cushions on Codicote Road and Lower Luton Road approaching the roundabout to enhance the safety of the new crossings and to create a more pleasant environment for people walking, wheeling and using the bus stops.
• Refurbishing of existing informal crossing points over Station Road and Lamer Lane.
• Widening of footways on each corner of the roundabout.

For details of the designs that were delivered, view the Codicote Road Roundabout Map - (PDF 330MB) 

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