Stevenage roadworks and parking: £4 all day, or £14

Stevenage was laid out for the car, with dual carriageways, roundabouts and underpasses designed in from 1946, and that mostly still works. The pinch points are where the town meets the national network: junction 7 of the A1(M) in the south, reached along the A602 Broadhall Way, and junction 8 in the north, on the A602 Hitchin Road. One incident on either, and the town’s own roads fill up.

This page carries the things that stay true between updates: which routes matter, what every council car park charges, and where to look when something is actually shut.

Where to check live

• Hertfordshire County Council’s roadworks map covers everything on borough and county roads, including utility works, with dates and traffic management for each. It is linked from the county’s roadworks and road closures page.
• National Highways covers the A1(M) itself. County road closures do not appear there and motorway closures do not appear on the county map, so on a bad morning you need both.
• Intalink carries bus information for the whole of Hertfordshire, including stop-level service updates when a road is closed.

What is programmed

Old Town High Street improvements. Work is under way along the High Street from the underpass at Sish Lane to the mini-roundabout on Letchmore Road. Stevenage Borough Council’s own description of the scheme is new paving, a new pedestrian crossing, a reconfigured junction to replace the existing mini-roundabout and slow vehicles down, resurfacing, and a new tree once the work finishes. This is the disruption most likely to affect an ordinary Old Town trip, and it is the one to check before you drive in. Details are on the council’s Old Town page.

A1(M) junctions 7 and 8: needed, costed, not funded. The council’s Infrastructure Delivery Plan of October 2025 identifies improvements to the northbound and southbound on-slips and the southbound off-slip at junction 7, and the northbound on-slip at junction 8. It puts the cost at £16 million, £8 million each, with £0 secured.

No third lane is coming. The A1(M) between junction 6 at Welwyn and junction 8 north of Stevenage is two lanes each way, with three lanes either side of that stretch. National Highways had planned a smart motorway upgrade to three lanes through here. The same council document records that new smart motorways were dropped from government road plans, so the schemes earmarked for the 2025 to 2030 investment period “will now not go ahead”. The plan is candid that the two-lane section will reach capacity within the life of the Local Plan.

A602 improvements: done. Hertfordshire County Council secured £19.4 million for capacity and traffic-flow work on the A602 between Stevenage and Ware, and the council’s plan records that improvements to eight junctions were delivered, with construction starting in June 2020. That is the east-west route through the south of the town, so it is the one that carries most inter-urban traffic.

Lytton Way may change shape. The Stevenage Station Gateway work includes an option to downgrade Lytton Way, the road between the station and the town centre, to bus and taxi traffic only, with an at-grade crossing from the station. Nothing is committed, but it is the single change that would alter how you drive to the station.

What a full day’s parking costs

Stevenage Borough Council runs twelve car parks. Their all-day rates are further apart than most people realise, and the two cheapest are a short walk from the Old Town High Street.

The detail behind those bars:

• Primett Road North, Old Town: £1.50 for an hour, £2.10 for two, £3.00 for three, and £4.00 for anything over five hours. Between 4pm and 6am, and all day Sunday, it is £1.10.
• Church Lane North, Old Town: the first hour is free, then £2.10 for two hours, £3.00 for three and £4.00 beyond that. £1.10 in the evenings and at weekends.
• St George’s Way multi-storey (996 spaces) and Westgate multi-storey: £1.20 for 30 minutes, £2.30 an hour, £3.50 for two, £4.70 for three, £6.00 for five and £7.10 over five hours, Monday to Saturday daytime. £2.60 overnight, £2.50 on Sundays.
• The Forum (300 spaces): the same ladder from £2.30 an hour up to £7.10, 7am to 7pm.
• Southgate (211 spaces): a flat £7.10 for any length of stay between 6am and 7pm, £2.60 otherwise.
• Danesgate: £10.50 for any stay starting between 6am and 6pm on a weekday, but £7.10 if you arrive after 8:30am. £7.10 on Saturdays, £2.60 evenings and Sundays.
• Railway North (627 spaces) and Railway South (123 spaces): £7.80 up to six hours, £12.00 for six to 24 hours, £4.50 on Sundays.

Every council car park uses number plate recognition on the barriers, and the pay stations take cards only, no cash. Blue badge holders without a season pass pay the normal tariff in the car parks. Charges apply on bank holidays.

On-street, and the free option

Town centre on-street pay and display covers Danestrete, Marshgate, Southgate, The Quadrant, Swingate and the roads behind Westgate. It is chargeable Monday to Saturday, 8am to 8pm, and free at all other times including Sundays. Blue badge holders park free for as long as they need.

The Old Town is the free option. On-street bays on the High Street, Bell Lane, Church Lane, Drapers Way, Primett Road, Walkern Road and part of Basils Road cost nothing. The catch is the time limit: three hours on most of them, two hours on the High Street north of Drapers Way, Bell Lane and Basils Road, with no return within four hours in every case. Blue badge holders are exempt. Five dedicated disabled bays sit on the High Street.

Around Lister Hospital, pay and display on Corey’s Mill Lane and North Road runs Monday to Saturday 7:30am to 7:30pm at £2.30 for an hour, £3.60 for two and £5.40 for three, with three hours the maximum stay. It is free before 7:30am, after 7:30pm and on Sundays. For a longer visit, use the pay-on-foot car park inside the hospital site.

Season passes

If you park in town regularly, the monthly pass usually wins:

At £55 a month the Old Town pass beats paying £4.00 a day from about the fourteenth visit onwards.

Paying, and which app

Stevenage is live on the National Parking Platform, so you are not forced into one company’s app. RingGo, JustPark and PayByPhone all work on the council’s on-street bays: enter the location code in whichever you already have. Problems with a machine go to TRO@stevenage.gov.uk or 01438 218846.

Cycling instead

Stevenage’s segregated cycleway network was built in with the town, with its own underpasses and bridges, and the council’s infrastructure plan says the extensive segregated infrastructure leaves the town “better equipped than many towns to facilitate safe and convenient cycling”. The plan is honest about the gaps too. It flags conflicts between cyclists and pedestrians, inadequate cycle parking and missing links, and identifies eight new cycle routes needed to connect growth areas to the main network, plus a cycle hub at the railway station with parking, hire and repair. Railway North already has 80 secure bike spaces in a Spokesafe compound.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the cheapest parking in Stevenage?

Primett Road North and Church Lane North in the Old Town, both £4.00 for a full day. Church Lane North also gives you the first hour free. The Old Town’s on-street bays are free altogether, with a two or three hour limit.

Is parking free in Stevenage Old Town?

Yes, on-street. High Street, Bell Lane, Church Lane, Drapers Way, Primett Road and part of Walkern Road and Basils Road are free, with a maximum stay of two or three hours depending on the section and no return within four hours.

How much is parking at Stevenage station?

£7.80 for up to six hours and £12.00 for six to 24 hours in Railway North or Railway South, £4.50 on Sundays, or £175 a month for a Railway season pass.

Which junctions serve Stevenage on the A1(M)?

Junction 7 in the south, via the A602 Broadhall Way, and junction 8 in the north, via the A602 Hitchin Road.

Is the A1(M) being widened at Stevenage?

No. The planned smart motorway upgrade to three lanes between junctions 6 and 8 was dropped from government road plans, and the junction 7 and 8 improvements that remain identified are costed at £16 million with none of it secured.

Can I pay for Stevenage parking with RingGo?

Yes. The council joined the National Parking Platform, so RingGo, JustPark and PayByPhone all work on its on-street bays.

Sources

• Stevenage Borough Council, find a car park and the individual car park pages for every tariff, checked 10 August 2026.
• Stevenage Borough Council, pay and display and on-street parking and Old Town parking.
• Stevenage Borough Council, car park season tickets.
• Stevenage Borough Council Infrastructure Delivery Plan, October 2025 for the A1(M) junction costs, the smart motorway cancellation, the A602 funding and the cycle network.
• Stevenage Old Town, a place with history for the High Street improvement scheme.
• Hertfordshire County Council roadworks and road closures.

Tariffs and schemes change. Confirm on the council’s own pages before you travel.