I know of at least two heated street blocks in Helsinki, Finland, too. One is at the very center, where plowing is difficult (cobbled street) and a lot of foot traffic on the sidewalks, so it makes practical sense just from accident prevention sense. The other is a short steep hill near Kumpula campus, ensuring buses can safely climb and descend the hill.
So, I am not saying there is never a good reason to use thermal energy to keep a street or pavement clear, because there demostrably is. I'm only saying that using thermal energy for keeping roads free of snow and ice is
usually a huge waste of energy. Just like solar roadways/pavements are. Just put the frigging things on the roofs, where they are very efficient, are under very little stress (in comparison), and are relatively cheap and easy to install. Plus, there they are very near the point of use, which means low transmission losses.
I am genuinely utterly puzzled and confused by exactly what makes solar roadways/pavements so media-sexy. Are us humans
really this stupid and unquestioning?