There are already a number of reflective roads in Noord-Holland, one to be added this week. They are also trying it out in Amsterdam and Hoofddorp, and since this spring you also see them in, yes, Los Angeles. Their workers who wear reflective vests painted a special coating over the roads, making them white. It saved no less than ten degrees. Dark colors absorb light, which makes it warmer. White, on the other hand, deflect the heat. You also notice that when wearing a white or black t-shirt in the summer.
Heat in the city
Piet Zijlstra is an engineer and designs highways. He is responsible for the white roads in the Netherlands. Our summers are getting warmer because of climate change. Especially in cities, the temperatures can rise considerably because the heat is difficult to dissipate due to the buildings. An annoying side effect is that even more hazardous substances are emitted by cars.
Safe cycling
But the new roads have even more advantages. It is also much safer in the winter. Just consider: if you cycle in the dark, you are much more visible on a white road than on gray asphalt. This means that street lighting does not have to be as bright, and that also saves energy.
Less spectacular
The reflective roads in the Netherlands, at first sight, look less spectacular than in Los Angeles. That is because Zijlstra would rather not use the coating. According to him, it wears out much faster. He mixes the asphalt with very fine gravel, which is called crushed stone. When quite a few cars drive over it, it wears out and the white slowly appears.