East Riding street lighting project wins top national awards for cutting carbon
Live Labs 2 project recognised for innovation and environmental impact
An innovative project from East Riding aimed at reducing carbon emissions in street lighting has received two prestigious national awards at the 2026 ADEPT President’s Awards.
Spearheaded by Karl Rourke, service manager for street lighting, traffic signals, and CCTV at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, the Live Labs 2 Decarbonising Street Lighting project was honoured with both the President’s Special Recognition Award and the award for Deploying Digital Innovation and Technologies 2026.
The President’s Special Recognition Award celebrates individuals who drive positive change and inspire others, with judges praising Karl for his leadership in transforming industry standards through low-carbon, data-led reforms.
Karl expressed gratitude for the award, attributing the success to team efforts: "This wouldn’t have been possible without the help from colleagues both internal and external, and this award is for them as much as it is for me.”
Councillor Paul West acknowledged the significance of the awards, stating: “I’m extremely proud of Karl and the LiveLabs2 project for winning these latest awards, because they are leading the way for the UK in showing how our roads can become greener and safer places.”
In the East Riding, the initiative is testing new technologies by switching off street lights and installing reflective white lines and solar-powered road studs along the A164 and A1079, aligning with the £3.3 million Department for Transport funding to explore more sustainable road lighting.
LiveLabs 2's collaboration with 11 councils across the UK is aiming to create a greener highway network. The project explores innovative approaches to lighting, enabling the removal of some street lights.
The results could offer environmental benefits, taxpayer savings, and demonstrate that road safety can be maintained without traditional street lighting.
The project has garnered several awards for its environmental impact and innovative use of technology, including from Highways Awards, the Highway Electrical Association, and the Decarbonising Transport Awards.