We are very fortunate that "New" Harlow was built around a network of roads that were already there - Latton street, Netteswell Road, Latton Common Road and many others were all closed off to motor vehicles once the New Town was built around them and are now available for safe cycling and walking, meaning that those of us who prefer to leave the car at home where possible have an easy "off grid" way of getting from A to B across the town. I can make my way from home in Mark Hall to the Town Centre barely touching a "normal" road, and to the station in the same way thanks to the Town Park.
Of course at this time of year the pleasure is all the greater as another of the Town Planner's achievements comes into its own with the fantastic colours from all the planting. There surely can’t be a better time for a stroll around Harlow than autumn, when even on a fairly overcast day there is still a stunning array of colour.
During the first Covid lockdown we did a lot of walking around the old roads - indeed on a few occasions it became a bit of a challenge to see how far we could go using as few roads also used by motor vehicles as possible - and it was surprising how easy it was. I even did one 5 mile run almost entirely on old roads, tracks and footpaths, with only a couple of short sections where I was sharing my space with cars.
Those who don’t know Harlow often voice the opinion that it’s a real concrete jungle - but mostly nothing could be further from the truth - we all have an abundance of green space right on our doorsteps, and the majority of households have open countryside within a reasonably accessible distance, too. Precisely what Sir Frederick Gibberd intended with his plans for our town!
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