First phase of improving sustainable transport in Harlow is now complete
News / Mon 16th Mar 2026 at 12:54pm
THE first phase of work to develop new public transport, walking and cycling links in Harlow is set to be completed on Wednesday.
The Sustainable Transport Corridor runs from an upgraded junction at Burnt Mill, along the A1019 to the town centre.
It features new bus lanes, safer and more pleasant walking and cycling, new public spaces, trees, signs, and lighting.
The new and improved route is the first of a group of sustainable transport corridors that will link the centre of Harlow to the rest of the town.
They will connect new and existing neighbourhoods to places such as the railway station and primary business areas.
The improvements are the first key part of the infrastructure that will support the Harlow-Gilston Garden Town.
This development will include 16,000 homes built across the Essex-Hertfordshire border. The completed works will allow residents to have better transport links before the new homes begin construction.
The North to Centre corridor is a scheme from Essex County Council with support from the Harlow and Gilston Garden Town partnership.
It is part of Homes England’s £172 million investment in Harlow through its Housing Infrastructure Grant.
This fund is in recognition of the need to provide infrastructure to support the provision of new homes in the garden community.
Councillor Louise McKinlay, Deputy Leader of Essex County Council and Cabinet Member for Communities, Economic Growth and Prosperity, said: “To unlock Harlow’s future growth, major transport infrastructure needs to be in place upfront. Despite challenges in the economy, Essex County Council has once again delivered real value for residents.
“This has created new connections for the garden town, will lead to more reliable bus routes, and has provided more walking and cycling options – improving travel for both current and future residents, making it easier to get around Harlow, whether they are commuters on the way to work or families going on a day out.”
More follows.
Darren
2026-03-16 14:24:37
Absolutely rubbish far too many traffic lights .WHAT is the point of putting the road past the fire station down to 1 Lane.? When it's wide enough for 2 . The other side too 1 land goes back into 2 after about 100 yards . Should also have times on the bus lanes so everyone can use them .outside of the times So after about 2 years of work still knacked trying to get around .Absolute joke
Eddie
2026-03-16 15:00:12
Traffic lights immediately after coming off roundabout , what idiot thought of that, probably the same person who did the same thing at the rugby club roundabout. Will cause holdups across roundabout and accidents. Anyone with a single brain cell can work that out.
Keith
2026-03-16 16:46:54
Please stop calling it a "sustainable transport corridor" .Its a "road".Put in as much infrastructure as you like roadwise it will not make any difference at all to the gridlock during rush hour.People will just fill these new roads up with their cars just like they always have done in the past ,one person per car.Unfortunately central governments of whatever political persuasion have neglected putting a decent,reliable,affordable and integrated public transportation into place in the UK so theres no alternative but to get stuck in a traffic jam.
Deb
2026-03-16 17:03:04
The buses need to be upgraded. They're old dilapidated wrecks. Hardly attracting people to give up their cars.
Jac
2026-03-16 18:03:16
I am sorry but these deluded people in Essex County Council only have one agenda and that is to bring all the roads in Harlow to a complete stop. What they don't mention is the amount of traffic passing through from Hertford and surrounding areas to the M11 and back again. Also do they really think that everyone going to go out and buy a bike!!!
Nick
2026-03-16 21:37:20
You seem to give priority to everyone but the motorist. Would you for once plan for the reality of increased car usage and not some dystopian view of just more cyclist or pedestrians. The increase in traffic lights alone will just add to the gridlock that we have to deal with for every journey cross town.
TonyB
2026-03-17 00:13:00
Years ago, there were traffic lights on the Burnt Mill roundabout. At the time of the traffic lights being switched on (they never “worked”) I was employed at the Pinnacles Industrial Estate, anyone who lived in Hertfordshire finished work at 5pm then got their books out to read until 6.30pm when it was possible to get out of the Pinnacles. They had tried all the options by going through the villages like Roydon and Nazeing but found they were just queuing in a different location. The traffic lights were removed because they jammed up the whole of the town centre. A couple of things to take note of; the Eastwick roundabout is next on list to have traffic lights and plans have already been passed for the Stow roundabout to experience the traffic lights, which means accessing the A414 from Howard Way to get to the station will also be jammed, plus of course the new road works provided by Dan Swords for his new M&S store on the route to the station will add to the mess. If the authorities were serious about walking and cycling they should take a look at the potholed cycle tracks, and pavements that are never repaired throughout Harlow, NOT just this little bit.
TonyB
2026-03-17 00:58:15
Don’t just rant here contact those responsible, there have been some changes to responsibilities, Tom Cunningham from Braintree was in charge of S.T.C.’s until recently. [email protected] Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Communities, Transformation and Economic Growth. Conservative Party, representing Brentwood Hutton. [email protected] Cabinet Member for Highways, Infrastructure and Sustainable Transport. Conservative Party, representing Frinton and Walton. [email protected] Conservative Party, representing Braintree Town. FORMER Cabinet Member for Highways, Infrastructure and Sustainable Transport. Your Harlow’s representation at county hall is: Michael Garnett - [email protected] - Andrew Johnson - [email protected], - Michael Hardware - [email protected] - Clive Souter - [email protected] they are all members of the Harlow Conservative Party, they are all entitled to "expenses" of a minimum £1,205.92p per month = £14,471.04 per year minimum, plus extra expenses for parking costs and petrol, plus phone, plus expenses.
Geoff Dailey
2026-03-17 07:56:11
All the developments/improvements and £'s millions spent on the roads and facilities in and around the High are a total waste of money unless the number of free parking spaces serving the area are dramatically increased
Mark
2026-03-17 08:03:26
Absolute madness to put the roads down to 1 lane when they use to always be 2 lanes (which numpty thought that would be a good idea)? 😡 This will just cause congestion (especially with those wanting to turn left and have to wait until they are on top of the roundabout to do so). 🙄 They talk about the environment and then have thousands of cars a day sitting in traffic for ages.
J
2026-03-17 08:12:12
What everyone else has said!
RON
2026-03-17 08:18:30
Absolute rubbish, total waste of money. The one cyclist that I ever seen use the centre path, will be the only person to benefit from this disaster. Has the monkey seen the congestion on the roads in this town?
David Forman
2026-03-17 08:30:05
It's politicians trying to coerce motorists into using bicycles. All that will happen is people will try to avoid the town centre. Then those shiny new shops, cafes and restaurants will struggle and eventually go out of business. I have already switched my shopping to Epping.
Jan Barr
2026-03-17 08:35:01
Traffic lights almost on top of roundabouts seriously, who made this up I can see a few accidents happening all that money spent ,what a mash up.
Chris
2026-03-17 08:56:12
Very happy to have my car slowed down a few minutes if it means more people using buses and cycling into the town centre, including me making that switch. That was the whole reason for doing this work (but the authorities have not done well explaining it). Look at parts of the country that prioritise walking and cycling - the leafy parts of London, our historic cities such as Cambridge. They are simply more pleasant. 30mph max speed limits throughout the town next please - it will make life better for everyone (I will need to leave 5 mins earlier, but be less stressed!).
Pinky
2026-03-17 09:07:04
Why is there so many traffic lights for people that don't cross the road 😒 and bus lanes for buses we dont see that often coming from the station it's all a joke ....what a waste of money 💰
Norm
2026-03-17 09:30:07
I guarantee this "sustainable transport corridor" will be replaced in a year when people complain it creates too much traffic. Bus lanes are great for buses but 95% of the traffic on those roads aren't buses and now they have one fewer lane to use so it'll create more traffic jams. This is a job creation scheme for whoever gets the contract to fix it, probably the same guy who got the contract to break it in the first place .
Darren Appleby
2026-03-17 10:27:19
15 minute city..that is all
Tony Wiseman
2026-03-17 10:38:28
The most worrying aspect of this redevelopment is the one pointed out by Darren at the top of the comments. Not only have they taken a lane away from in front of the Fire Station they also missed the opportunity to add a left filter lane at the roundabout. This is also a heavily used route by Ambulances. How many lives will be lost because these essential emergency services cannot attend incidents in a timely manner?
Billie Achilleos
2026-03-17 10:53:32
whats the point of the bus lanes the routes dont serve the town efficiently and there arent frequent enough buses. this isnt london when theres one every 15mins. it baffles me that i live in canons gate yet to go to trainstation or queensgate id have to take a bus in the opposite direction and change in the town centre taking much longer than a car. id love to take a bus if the routes were more efficient.
Diana Ward
2026-03-17 13:51:17
Utter waste of money. Instead of making the journey across Harlow faster , they have deliberately made it worse. Instead of wasting money on this Green party / environmentalists vanity scheme they should have spent the money investing in new bus routes and more frequent buses. Yes I'll use a bus , but not if I have to wait up to and often longer than two hours for it. The surrounding villages need better , more frequent services to make using buses a practical and useful option. They also need to go to towns such as Hertford , Ware, Enfield , Chelmsford, Colchester,Bishop Stortford , Barnet and St Alban's frequently . The buses in Harlow just serve the immediate housing estates , not where jobs and employment opportunities are.
Guy Flegman
2026-03-17 13:58:43
The worst things is we have paid for this nonsense through our ridiculous high taxes, and when they need to change it because of the gridlock it creates they will simply tax us more.. A basic rate tax payer in UK pays 45% tax when you include NI and employer contributions! Wake up people
Karen Mash
2026-03-17 14:59:41
Growing up in Harlow was great! we where out on our bikes around Harlow all day hardly touching the roads just to cross to the next cycle track. All the cycle tracks are still there but have been left to decay and are now not nice to even walk down. Couldn’t the money have been used to bring them back to life and safe for cyclists. Just a thought!!
Griddy
2026-03-17 16:21:29
Gridlock and chaos is what has been achieved - who thought reducing lanes from 2 to one where there isn't even a bus lane right next to an ambulance station and a fire station was a good idea ! Traffic lights will cause complete gridlock once they are turned on - even though their are underpass's to be sustainable in on each exit already in existence.
Panny
2026-03-17 18:48:04
I agree with all those comments. That is the majority speaking. Wonderful Goebals type propaganda. Its not even fully open yet Who are these people?
Brenda Joyce Elliott
2026-03-17 21:12:33
Good great job Essex c c thinking ahead at last just to many cars already now need to get lights working 1 stop cars going on to roundabout when there exit is not clear 2 and and cycling and walking into the town but Howes way roundabout needs doing the same
Kim O'connor
2026-03-18 09:54:14
Any one who puts all theses traffic lights on top of roundabout s have no ideas of what holds traffic up. Not only is it a danger for theses walk ways on top of roundabout, it's would be an ancient waiting to happen. How could this be allowed to happen.
Carlos
2026-03-22 16:39:24
What a shower of sh#t! This will cause many accidents
Al gafar
2026-03-23 10:39:17
Well enough said ,the changing 2 lanes to 1 lane just past the fire station is utter madness ,emergency vehicles will be severely affected not withstanding road rage through utter incompetence. Traffic lights on roundabouts ! Brainless ,all this must have been designed or lack of it by a greeny woke who is so anti car . All this time and money to cater for the few and not the many ,I have contacted our m p Chris Vince regarding this absolute disgrace. Someone is rubbing their hands together having made megga bucks . I can go on indefinitely
Al gafar
2026-03-23 10:43:41
Absolute rubbish
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