Latest news & events

Inspiring innovation without compromise – can decarbonisation and high standards go hand in hand across the UK’s highway network?

This month our blog comes from Live Labs 2 Programme Director Giles Perkins who discusses the Live Labs 2 Expo "Dragons' Den" pitch winners Clearview Intelligence and Circular 11 and examines the possibilities and challenges inherent in scaling decarbonisation innovation across the highways sector.

Within ADEPT Live Labs 2, testing and trialling innovations that could shape the future of UK highways is our focus; but in the excitement of championing bold new ideas, we cannot lose sight of the world-renowned safety standards that underpin our transport network. 

At this year’s Live Labs 2 Expo, in our “Dragons’ Den” style pitch sessions, a small group of SMEs had the chance to showcase how their products could help to decarbonise the highways sector. 

From this inspiring event, two joint winners emerged, Circular 11, with their infrastructure products made from hard to recycle plastics and Clearview Intelligence, whose SolarLite road studs offer a lower carbon solution to road lighting and safety. 

Both organisations and products embody the kind of creativity and expertise we need to meet the climate challenge. However, both also highlight the importance of ensuring that new ideas can be safely and effectively scaled and deployed across a complex and fragmented sector.

I had the pleasure of spending time with Clearview and Circular 11, getting to understand their products in more detail and the challenges they face in scaling them to a UK market.

How can we safely scale bold innovation in highways?

One theme that has emerged very clearly from our conversations with stakeholders, projects, partners and expo attendees is that while the UK has a strong culture of innovation, our transport systems, particularly highways, are not always set up to help these new ideas flourish quickly.

Clearview Intelligence are already a well-established technology company in the highways sector and are making great strides in the rail sector with new products. In rail, there are clearer innovation pathways, where new products can be systematically tested, refined and then integrated into use cases on the network. 

The highways sector, on the other hand, is more fragmented. With multiple local authorities, ‘arms-length’ bodies and the Department for Transport it can be arguably harder for innovations to scale at pace.

Circular 11, a smaller company based in Chichester, is pioneering the use of recycled plastics in highway infrastructure by turning plastic waste into practical products to avoid the use of timber that could reduce the carbon footprint of highways assets. 

But, like many small businesses, they face significant challenges navigating the complex web of approvals, specifications and standards that are required to bring new materials and products into widespread use.

The UK has a long and established history of innovation and expertise in transport and the technical capability is clear. However, the systems that govern highways similarly need to evolve to become more agile in order to help good ideas get to market faster, and all this has to be achieved without compromising safety or performance.

Innovation and safety – it’s not either/or

In the UK, we rightly pride ourselves on our safety record in highways management. But when it comes to introducing new ideas, products and services that move us closer to our net zero goal, the approval process can be lengthy, costly and daunting.

This is especially true for smaller firms without dedicated testing or regulatory teams, but who may have an innovation that could benefit the entire sector.

The key challenge is to create a system that allows us to move more quickly and flexibly without losing the rigour that keeps people safe on our roads.

We can perhaps learn from sectors like rail, where a more joined-up approach allows innovations to be trialled, evaluated and then scaled with greater consistency. We can also look abroad to countries where decarbonisation efforts are being fast-tracked through agile procurement and regulatory processes.

What we cannot do is stand still. The climate crisis demands action, but that action must be underpinned by the same careful stewardship that has made our highways among the safest in the world.

Clearview Intelligence and Circular 11 – beacon companies in a rapidly evolving landscape

Both Clearview Intelligence and Circular 11 are perfect examples of how innovation can serve both sustainability and safety goals.

Clearview’s SolarLite road studs are solar-powered, reducing reliance on grid electricity but providing superior night-time visibility for drivers. They last longer, use less energy and improve road safety, ticking all the right boxes for our progress towards the decarbonisation of highways infrastructure and maintenance.

Circular 11’s approach is equally compelling. By taking plastic waste that would otherwise go to landfill and transforming it into durable highway products, they are closing the loop on materials and offering a lower carbon, more durable alternative to traditional materials like wood, concrete and steel. 

These products are already being trialled in real-world settings, but scaling up remains a challenge in a sector that is inherently risk-averse for very understandable reasons. From my perspective, those understandable reasons should absolutely be highlighted and commended because they are rooted in the safety of communities, road users and those working in the highways sector. But our challenge now is to make sure the best ideas that enhance and support that safety record get seen, tested and embedded as efficiently as possible.

Can we develop a smarter innovation ‘pipeline’?

One of the key takeaways from the Live Labs 2 Expo and subsequent discussions was the need for a smarter, more joined-up pipeline that helps promising innovations to make the leap from trial to everyday practice. This isn’t just about meeting technical specifications, it’s about industry culture and collaboration with a healthy side order of practical support, especially for those SMEs with bold ideas but limited resources.

At Live Labs 2, we’re committed to supporting innovators not just through initial trials, but through the entire journey towards scaling and adoption. For the ‘Dragon’s Den’ SMEs companies who pitched but didn’t win, ADEPT (the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport) is offering continued support and guidance alongside Department for Transport and our wider Live Labs 2 community.

Next steps

The journeys of Circular 11 and Clearview Intelligence remind us that innovation is not just about ideas it’s about creating an environment and indeed a sector where new thinking can thrive, without shortcuts, but with an openness to change.

In my own visits to these companies, I have been constantly reminded of the ingenuity and passion that exist in our industry. My question is, how do we unlock it?

The sector provided an opportunity to explore the decarbonisation of highways and Live Labs 2 has been one part of the reply to that challenge. 

Our response and indeed our challenge back to the sector now is, how can we funnel and scale these innovations without compromising safety?

Further information 

• For more information on ADEPT Live Labs 2: Decarbonising Local Roads in the UK, please look at the Live Labs 2 section on the website
• You can find more on the innovation pitches from the 2025 Live Labs 2 Expo here

Author

• Giles Perkins, Programme Director for Live Labs 2