Update (July 2026): Construction completed

Construction of the Harlow First Avenue Cycling and Walking Improvements scheme is now complete, with all three new crossings open and in use.

The works were undertaken on behalf of Essex County Council by Ringway Jacobs and their supply chain partner Marlborough Highways and started at the end of March 2026.

The majority of the works were completed by the end of June 2026, with some minor elements finished in early July. Formal completion of the scheme is subject to a road safety audit which is scheduled to be carried out in July.

Thank you for your patience while construction works were carried out.

The scheme has provided safer and improved crossing points for people along the First Avenue corridor, including pupils and families walking and cycling to and from local schools.

Further information about the improvements made can be found below.

Summary

We have made crossing improvements at three junctions along the First Avenue corridor in Harlow through our Harlow First Avenue Cycling and Walking Improvements scheme.

The scheme was completed in summer 2026 and is the first phase of a new east to west walking and cycling route.

The route, referred to as Harlow LCWIP (Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan) 4, aims to improve pedestrian and cycle connections linking the east of Harlow with Harlow town centre. Further improvements to the route will be dependent on future funding.

Together with the Harlow Sustainable Transport Corridor schemes and the Harlow LCWIP 9 scheme, the Harlow First Avenue Cycling and Walking Improvements scheme has helped improve connections for existing communities and planned new communities as part of the Harlow and Gilston Garden Town.

The initial improvements we have made are:

• A new raised table crossing at the Park Lane Junction with First Avenue Mandela Avenue
• A new toucan crossing on the northern arm of the Howard Way Roundabout near the junction with First Avenue
• A new parallel crossing over Momples Road at the junction with First Avenue

Map showing locations of proposed new crossings

The improvements were made following feedback received during initial community engagement in 2023, which highlighted the difficulties people currently experience crossing roads along the route, particularly at the Howard Way and Momples Road junctions.

Having developed designs for the crossing improvements, we then asked for feedback on the Harlow First Avenue Cycling and Walking Improvements scheme as part of a public consultation, which ran from Monday 9 June to Sunday 6 July 2025. Thank you to everyone who shared their views.

What improvements have been made?

We have made crossing improvements at three junctions along the First Avenue corridor – the Park Lane junction, Howard Way Roundabout and the Momples Road junction.

The Harlow First Avenue Cycling and Walking Improvements scheme brought forward walking and cycling improvements which were proposed as part of the Harlow East to West Sustainable Transport Corridor, as well as part of the new Harlow LCWIP 4 walking and cycling route.

Park Lane junction

The Park Lane junction with First Avenue Mandela Avenue was previously an uncontrolled segregated cycleway/footway crossing over Park Lane.

We have improved the junction by creating a new raised table to New raised table and crossing improvements on Park Laneprovide people who are walking or cycling with priority when crossing to improve safety.

Raised tables are sections which bring the road up to the height of the footway, making it easier to cross and helping to slow vehicles and make it clear to drivers not to expect priority over other users.

We have also widened the footways on the approaches to the crossing and extended them to the crossing point, which is set back approximately 7m from the junction. This provides more space for drivers to navigate the crossing and mini roundabout, improving safety for everyone.

We have resurfaced the road at the junction, added new road markings and signs, and upgraded the lighting.

Howard Way Roundabout

The Howard Way Roundabout is a four arm, two-lane roundabout connecting Howard Way and First Avenue.

During our community engagement in 2023, you told us that it was particularly difficult to cross at the roundabout.New toucan crossing at the Howard Way Roundabout

We have provided a new toucan crossing across the northern arm of the roundabout. This has replaced the previous uncontrolled crossing, which required people to cross in two phases (with an island in the middle) and across two busy traffic lanes.

Toucan crossings are a type of shared signalised crossing which can be used by both people walking or cycling.

The new crossing makes it easier for people who are walking and cycling to cross the road in this location, with traffic signals stopping traffic before allowing them to safely cross.

The signals for the toucan crossing are on-demand and are not expected to have a significant impact on traffic.

We have also extended the shared use paths on the either side of the roundabout further along Howard Way to the new crossing.

The road on the northern arm of the roundabout has been resurfaced and we have also upgraded lighting upgrades and added new markings and signs.

Momples Road Junction

The Momples Road junction with First Avenue is a T-junction, which previously had an uncontrolled crossing across Momples Road.

This is another location where you told us it felt dangerous to cross during our earlier community engagement in 2023.

We have improved the crossing by introducing a new parallel crossing over Momples Road.New parallel crossing on Momples Road

A parallel crossing is a type of crossing that prioritises both pedestrians and cyclists. It is similar to a zebra crossing, but also includes a separately marked zone for people who are cycling.

During public consultation, people raised concerns about the crossing being too close to the junction with First Avenue. Therefore, we have set it 7m back from the junction rather than the 5m previously proposed. This provides additional space for vehicles to safely queue at the junction while also ensuring the crossing remains in a close enough position to the junction that people walking and cycling along First Avenue are not discouraged from using it.

We have also widened a 20m section of the existing footway on either side of Momples Road to create a shared footway/cycleway. After that point, the footway continues south as it did previously and people who are cycling are directed onto the road.

We have resurfaced the road at the junction, upgraded lighting and added new markings and signs.

Potential wider improvements to the Momples Road junction will be considered as part of the Harlow East to West Sustainable Transport Corridor project. These were outside the scope of our scheme, which was focused on improving pedestrian and cyclist crossings in key locations along the First Avenue corridor.

Background

The east to west route is around 4.5km and starts east of the Velizy Avenue Roundabout and finishes at Sheering Road, running along the First Avenue corridor. The route could potentially include various different types of walking and cycling paths, crossings and other features in the future.

The Harlow First Avenue Cycling and Walking Improvements (initial crossing improvements at key junctions along the First Avenue corridor) were jointly funded by Active Travel England and Essex County Council.

We hope that we will be able to secure further funding to make additional improvements to the route in the future.

All nine proposed LCWIP routes can be seen in the map (below).

Public consultation

Having developed designs for an initial package of crossing improvements along First Avenue (Harlow First Avenue Cycling and Walking Improvements), we ran a public consultation to get your feedback.

The consultation was launched on Monday 9 June 2025 and ran for four weeks, closing on Sunday 6 July 2025. Thank you to everyone who shared their views.

The feedback provided through the consultation demonstrated a good level of overall support for the proposed First Avenue Cycling and Walking Improvements. Our consultation report and promoter’s response can be found in the documents section of this page. They summarise the feedback we received through the consultation and outline our views on the key points which were raised.

Contact us

If you have any questions or comments about the Harlow First Avenue Cycling and Walking Improvements Scheme, Harlow LCWIP 4, please email us at: activetravel@essexhighways.org