Green Travel Options for our Town Centre Campus
North Hertfordshire College is committed to sustainability and reducing the carbon footprint of our organisation, our staff, and our students. As part of the development of the new Town Centre Campus, a Travel Plan has been developed to promote and support the use of active and/or sustainable travel options.
A Travel Plan Co-ordinator has also been appointed to deliver the Travel Plan – please contact them with your queries about travel to and from the Town Centre Campus.
Lizzie Jones, Director of Corporate Services
Email.: ljones@nhc.ac.uk
We will be working with staff, students, and visitors of the Town Centre Campus to:
Active transport, such as walking, cycling, or combining public transport with walking, helps people build regular physical activity into their daily routine which has numerous health benefits. It can also improve mental wellbeing by helping to reduce stress, improve mood and increase energy levels, while wider use of active travel can contribute to cleaner air and a healthier local environment.
The new Town Centre Campus is on Market Square, Stevenage, close to the town centre’s major transport links and public car parks. This guide outlines the main travel options for students, staff, and visitors, including approximate routes, distances, and parking costs to help plan your journey.
Clear and consistent wayfinding signage in Stevenage town centre supports people to find their way around independently and reinforces Stevenage’s wider active travel network. By making these routes easy to understand, the signage helps to encourage walking and cycling by advising of routes suitable for pedestrians and cyclists while protecting the pedestrianised character of the town centre and reducing the risk of cyclists inadvertently entering areas where cycling is not permitted. The town centre wayfinding signage includes directions to the College.
It will take around 10 minutes to walk from the the Stevenage campus to the Town Centre campus. Leave the campus and walk past Asda and use the underpass towards the shops. Follow the footpath between the shopping area until you reach the first junction. Turn right and then take the first left under the building which brings you out onto Market Place Road and the multi-story carpark. You will see signage for NHC on the building, the main entrance is at the far end.
It will take around 15 minutes to walk from the Town Centre campus to the Engineering campus. Go through the underpass adjacent to the main entrance and turn left into the shopping area walk way. At the junction turn left and walk until you reach the main clock square (there is a shorter route through the Westgate shopping area if you are familiar with Stevenage). Turn right and head towards the Urban park and go around this following to the path on the right. Cross the road at the crossing and walk straight ahead either up the ramp or the stairs and through the Leisure Centre. This brings you out onto the bridge over the dual carriage way and into the top of the Station. Continue past the station entrance and exit to the right down the ramp. Follow this path until you arrive at the campus.
Stevenage railway station is the nearest mainline station to the Town Centre Campus. From the station, the Campus is approximately 600 metres, which is around a 10-15 minute walk depending on route and pace. A typical walking route is from the station through the town centre to Market Square.
LNER and Thameslink are the main train operators serving Stevenage. Further information about timetables and service updates can be found on their websites:
You can plan your train journey and find out more information about ticket prices, using National Rail Journey Planner
There is no free car parking available at the Town Centre Campus. The nearest public car park is St. George’s Way multi-storey car park (St George’s Way, Stevenage, SG1 1EP), which is suitable for long-stay parking. Published charges are currently: up to 30 minutes £1.20; up to 1 hour £2.30; up to 2 hours £3.50; up to 3 hours £4.70; up to 5 hours £6.00; and over 5 hours £7.10. Evening parking from 7pm to 6am is £2.60. Payment is by card and the car park operates with automatic number plate recognition (ANPR). Other town centre options include Westgate multi-storey car park and The Forum car park for shorter stays, subject to availability and current tariffs.
Lift-sharing delivers several practical and environmental benefits. It can ..
… help reduce travel costs as passengers share fuel and parking expenses, making regular journeys more affordable.
… reduce the number of cars travelling to and from the campus, which helps ease congestion and reduce demand for parking spaces around the town centre.
… help lower carbon emissions and improve air quality by reducing the number of single-occupancy car journeys that people make.
… make commuting more convenient and sociable for people travelling from similar areas or along the same route.
Contact your Travel Plan Co-ordinator who can assist you with lift-sharing your journeys to and from Town Centre Campus, as either a driver or as a passenger.
Electric vehicle charging points near the Town Centre Campus are available at:
Availability or operational status can be checked online using Blink app(https://blinkcharging.com/products/blink-app) or. Zapmap (https://www.zapmap.com/live/).
For those arriving by bus, Stevenage town centre is served by a mix of local and inter-town services. Frequent local services connect nearby Stevenage neighbourhoods with the town centre, while longer-distance routes include the 100 and 101 from Luton to Stevenage, the 301 linking St Albans with Stevenage, and the 907 connecting Hertford, Ware, and Stevenage. Many services stop at Stevenage bus station or close to Stevenage railway station, making it easy to continue your journey on foot to the Campus.
The route from Stevenage Bus Station to the Campus is via the shared foot-/cycleway leading from the bus station building to Danesgate (on your right with the bus station building behind you), turning left along Danesgate and using the pedestrian crossing facility on Danestrete to reach Town Square (turn left after crossing Danestrete), from where pedestrians walk and cyclists wheel their cycle across the southern side of Town Square to reach Queensway (south-eastern/bottom right-hand corner of Town Square), continue down (south) Queensway then turn left (east) on to Market Place, and left again (north) away from Market Place towards Market Square, where you will see the Town Centre Campus building.
Returning to Stevenage Bus Station from Town Centre Campus involves pedestrians walking and cyclists wheeling their cycle away from Market Square on to Market Place, turning right (west) on Market Place, turning right (north) on Queensway to reach Town Square, crossing the southern edge of the Square and leaving by the southern exit (bottom left-hand corner) to reach the pedestrian crossing facility on Danestrete to access the footway and carriageway along Danesgate, from which a shared cycle-/footway leads northwards to the bus station building.
Cyclists can also travel to the Campus from Stevenage Bus Station using the off carriageway network that leads right (south) from the station via a shared foot-/cycleway across Danesgate, which becomes a section of cycleway towards and around the roundabout linking Lytton Way, Danestrete, Six Hills Way, and London Road, crossing Danestrete via a marked crossing point for cyclists, proceeding towards Six Hills Way, then left (east) towards the Millenium Mile Post, from where cyclists would wheel their cycles through the pedestrianised town centre – left (north) past The Towers, right (east) on Southgate, left (north) on Queensway, right (east) on Market Place, left (north) on Market Place, and on to Market Square.
Cyclists travelling to Stevenage Bus Station from the Campus can walk their cycle away from Market Square on to Market Place (south), turn right (west) on Market Place then left (south) on Queensway, right (west) on Southgate and immediately left to go past The Towers on the far (southern) side of which the dedicated cycleway on the northern side of Six Hills Way can be followed to the right (west), around the roundabout using the marked cyclists’ crossing point on Danestrete, then right (north) alongside Lytton Way to the shared foot-/cycleway leading to and across Danesgate, then into the bus station building.
For cyclists to reach the Cuttys Lane bus stop leave Market Square and head towards Market Place, turn left (south) down Market Place and then left (east) along Market Place towards the St. George’s Way dual carriageway, then go down the steps or ramp to enter the subway under St. George’s Way. Once on the far side of St. George’s Way continue straight ahead (do not turn left) past Stevenage Museum, and St. Andrew and St. George Church, before connecting with the shared cycle-/footway heading left (north) to Cuttys Lane. The bus stop is just to your left-hand side.
There are also bus stops on Six Hills Way (the A602) south of the site, accessible in 6 minutes on foot (450 metres from the Campus). To reach the bus stop on the northern side of Six Hills Way, pedestrians walk and cyclists wheel their cycle away from Market Square towards Market Place (south) and then turn right (west) along Market Place, then left (south) on Queensway, cross Southgate heading towards The Towers, then proceed past The Towers, after which the shared cycle-/footway adjacent to Six Hills Way is reached, where there are steps for pedestrians and a ramp for cyclists to go up to the bus stop. To reach thebus stop on the southern side of Six Hills Way, the directions above would be followed, and then pedestrians would turn right (west) to use the bridleway under Six Hills Way, turning left (east) once on the southern side of Six Hills Way to access the steps and ramp up to the bus stop. Cyclists can use either that bridleway or the dedicated cycleway accessed by turning left (east) to pass under Six Hills Way, then the steps or ramp up to the bus stop.
Further information including route maps, timetables and service details for buses serving Stevenage can be found on the following websites:
Intalink – https://www.intalink.org.uk/services
Arriva – https://www.arrivabus.co.uk/herts-and-essex/bus-travel-in-stevenage
The enclosed bus routes map is available online at: https://www.intalink.org.uk/maps/151
For those walking or travelling by bike, the Town Centre Campus is centrally located within Stevenage town centre and can be reached easily from nearby residential areas and transport hubs.
Stevenage has over 45km of cycleways, making it one of the best towns in the UK for travelling by bike. The network is segregated from the carriageways of the town and cyclists can cross at major junctions and other convenient points through underpasses.
The Stevenage Cycle Map provided with this travel information details the routes for pedestrians and cyclists throughout Stevenage town centre, Stevenage Old Town, and the wider residential areas and open spaces.
Cyclists travelling from Market Square should avoid cycling through the pedestrianised town centre, where cycling is not permitted. There are several cycle parking locations provided throughout the town centre, making it convenient to leave your cycle parked whilst you use the town centre facilities.
Clear and consistent wayfinding signage in Stevenage town centre supports people to find their way around independently and reinforces Stevenage’s wider active travel network. By making these routes easy to understand, the signage helps to encourage cycling by advising of routes suitable for cyclists while protecting the pedestrianised character of the town centre and reducing the risk of cyclists inadvertently entering areas where cycling is not permitted. The town centre wayfinding signage includes directions to the College.
For information about cycle maintenance skills and support, and safe cycling skills training, visit the Stevenage Borough Council Cycling in Stevenage website – https://www.stevenage.gov.uk/leisure-culture-and-wellbeing/sport-and-leisure-services/cycling/cycling-in-stevenage.
The Beryl bike hire scheme is operated in Stevenage, providing a network of bikes for hire between key locations in and around the town – including the train station, near the Town Centre Campus, and at the Stevenage Main Campus (Monkswood Way). The maps below show the Beryl bike locations near Town Centre Campus and Stevenage Main Campus.
For details of other locations, how the scheme operates, how to download the Beryl app, and hire prices, visit the Beryl Bikes website – https://beryl.cc/scheme/stevenage.
Travel times and parking charges can change, so it is advisable to check rail operators, local bus services and Stevenage Borough Council parking information before setting off.
