The planners in 1955 were quite clued up in two aspects; one was the dropped kerbs; these ramps were a great help to us young mums when negotiating pavements with our loaded prams, and of course, now in the more enlightened attitudes to the disabled are useful for buggies and wheelchairs.
The second was the network of cycle paths, unknown, I believe, until new towns were built. There were then, and probably are, now great for people who want to save money and get fit at the same time!
The other good thing about Stevenage, apart from providing homes for people like me who didn’t have a hope of getting a council house in my home town, was the landscaping, which to this day, really enhances the look of the town, in all seasons. The policy at the beginning was to preserve old trees, along with planting new ones, which was very forward thinking.
Add your comment about this page
My dad used the cycle ways to go to work from late 1959 till we moved away in 1966. He cycled all the way from Bandley Hill to Gunnels Wood Road at night and back in the morning. Not easy when you had asthma.
I lived all my childhood in Stevenage. I took the copious cycletracks for granted. However with today’s roads I daren’t let my kids out alone on their bikes. They were (are) a tremendous assett to the town, and a big credit to the planners.