Whether it's using an electric car, pedalling a bike or wearing out shoe leather, Hertfordshire residents have been encouraged to look for ways to make their journeys 'greener'.

And now officials from the county council are looking at ways to make the roads they travel on more sustainable too.

According to a report – presented to county councillors this week – highways officials are looking at the environmental impact of road re-surfacing.

And as well as looking at ways to extend the life of newly-laid road surfaces, they are looking at the potential use of recycled materials – including crushed rock extracted from old road surfaces.

The work is highlighted in a section of the council's 'asset performance report 23/24', which was presented to a meeting of the council's highways and transport cabinet panel on Wednesday (March 12).

"Resurfacing materials are generally laid hot and contain crushed rock and bitumen therefore having a large environmental impact," says the report.

"Although our preventative treatments reduce the amount of resurfacing required, when we do need to lay new materials we also need to consider their impact on the environment, from manufacturing, transporting, to laying and future replacement.

"Materials trials and testing will be undertaken with the impact on the environment being considered alongside the life expectancy.

"Extending the life of surfacing also reduces the inconvenience caused during more frequent resurfacing or reconstruction operations.

"Work is being planned to test durability of materials that can be manufactured and laid at lower temperatures, testing the benefits of utilising higher proportions of recycled materials, such as crushed rock extracted from old road surfaces and the use of modified binders that extend the life of carriageways.

"More efficient ways of working are also better for the environment, such as utilising wider paving machines allowing roads to be resurfaced in one operation, reducing vehicle movements, extending the life expectancy by reducing the number of joints and potential weak areas."

MEANWHILE the 'asset performance report 23/24' also highlights the cost and environmental savings of switching to LED lighting.

Since 2014 the county council has been switching street lighting lanterns to LED technology, linked to a central management system.

And according to the report that has avoided the need to spend £8.8m, based on April 2023 energy costs, and cut carbon emissions by 15,082 tonnes a year.

Data within the report says that in 2012/13, carbon emissions were 19,529 tonnes – compared to 4,447 in 23/24.