If the highways sector is serious about hitting net zero, then we need to be honest about where change will have the greatest impact. Few areas present a bigger opportunity or a bigger challenge than streetlighting.
And right now, one local authority is showing exactly what's possible when we stop defaulting to 'how it's always been done' and start asking better questions.
East Riding of Yorkshire Council's award-wining Decarbonising Street Lighting project is doing more than trialling new technology, it's fundamentally rethinking the role of lighting across the network.
The reality is stark. Streetlighting costs UK local authorities over £1 billion every year and generates more than one million tonnes of CO₂. Yet much of the infrastructure in place today is based on decades-old assumptions, with like-for-like replacements still the norm. East Riding has taken a different approach.
Instead of asking "what should we replace existing lighting with?", the council asked a far more powerful question: what lighting do we actually need? That shift in mindset is critical.
Working across key routes including the A164 and A1079, the project has seen the installation of more than 5,000 solar-powered road studs, alongside enhanced road markings. But this isn't about swapping one technology for another it's about targeted intervention. Lighting only where it adds value and removing it where it doesn't. The results speak for themselves.
By using off-grid, solar-powered studs, the scheme eliminates ongoing energy use entirely. It reduces maintenance requirements, cuts embodied carbon whilst delivering clear visibility for drivers even in conditions where traditional streetlighting can fall short, such as heavy rain or fog.
Over the past three years, we've had the privilege of working with East Riding of Yorkshire Council on its Decarbonising Street Lighting project, funded through the ADEPT Live Labs 2 – part of the £30million Department for Transport (DfT) programme aimed at decarbonising the local highway network.
Our role has been focused on introducing solar-powered road studs as part of a much wider examination of the future of lighting highways, local roads and paths.
Crucially, the project also demonstrates that less can be more. Early insights from Live Labs 2 suggest that up to 20% of streetlighting may be unnecessary or underperforming. East Riding's project brings that statistic to life, showing how removing redundant assets and replacing them with smarter, lower-carbon alternatives can deliver meaningful financial and environmental savings.
This is why the project has received industry recognition. It's not just innovative, it's practical, scalable and grounded in real-world performance. And the implications go far beyond one local authority.
Across the UK, highway teams are under pressure to reduce costs while accelerating decarbonisation. Traditional streetlighting, with its energy demands, maintenance burden and embedded carbon, sits squarely at the centre of that challenge. East Riding offers a blueprint for doing things differently.
It shows that we don't have to choose between safety, sustainability and affordability. With the right approach, we can deliver all three by focusing on outcomes rather than assets, and by being willing to challenge long-standing conventions.
There's also a wider lesson here about leadership. Innovation in highways doesn't happen by accident. It requires the confidence to question established norms, the willingness to trial new approaches, and the commitment to scale what works. East Riding of Yorkshire Council has demonstrated all three.
The technology behind solar-powered road studs may not be new. But applying it in this way strategically is what makes this project stand out.
The highways sector often talks about transformation. What East Riding has shown is what it actually looks like in practice. The question now is simple: who follows next? The camera is rolling. Now it's time for action.
Ralph Bates is a business leader at Clearview Intelligence. Ralph is committed to helping the transport and built environment sectors move away from high-carbon legacy solutions toward sustainable alternatives that deliver long-term value for communities. He is leading the development of Clearview's SolarLite across the UK working with local authorities and partners to rethink traditional street lighting.
