More than £36 million is being ploughed into improving cycleways, roads and pavements across the county in Hertfordshire County Council's biggest highways programme.

The council's cabinet has allocated the money for the Integrated Highway Works Programme for 2003/4, which sets out hundreds of schemes including traffic calming measures to reduce accidents.

Other schemes include better streetlights and safer routes to schools projects.

County councillor Iris Tarry, executive member for the environment, said: "The fact that we are willing to spend this amount of money shows our commitment to improving and maintaining the county's roads.

"We are fully aware of the concerns people have over the condition of our highways, but I'm sure once the schemes in the programme are implemented people will definitely notice the improvements.

"While all of the problems will not be solved overnight, if we continue with massive programmes like this we will make significant headway."