Foamy roads

[tonyvid]

I noticed last night that all the roads were covered in foamy puddles. I can understand that tyres and wet roads can aeriate(sp?)the puddles but have never seen this before, it looked like some huge carwashing session had been on the top of every hill and the white smooth foam running off. Any ideas? Water/oil emulsions(but not noticably slippery), pollen? Weird.

[Podie]

Similar think noted round here too... weird.

[BossCerbera]

...I saw it too. All the way from Bicester via Buckingham to Milton Keynes.

[skibum]

Same in Birmingham over the last few days. I had assumed it was something to do with the heat and the water evaporating creating the bubbles as it was being churned up by the tyres?

[dern]

Happens every year. No idea why I'm afraid.

[bikerkeith]

After a dry spell there is a build up of dust, dirt and assorted crud on the road surface. As soon as there is a decent downpour all of this muck gets washed away and looks like a load of suds as it goes down the road. Be very wary when the first drops of rain fall, as the newly wet solution can be almost as slippery as ice.

[BossCerbera]

I saw a couple of bikers riding with their feet out like stabilisers.

I've never noticed it in previous years. The roads were slippery for sure. Fun with 4 wheels, probably not with 2!

[minornut]

It's all these new fangled detergents in fuel that don't evaporate off from little spillages and leaks.

[apache]

Got to be heat related cos I've not noticed it any other time of the year and we've had dry spells throughout

[Yugguy]

I saw this on the A429 the other day when it had rained after a long dry spell.

[Podie]

It tipped it down yesterday afternoon, and there was steam coming off the car park... looked kinda spooky!

[Kentish]

bikerkeith said:

After a dry spell there is a build up of dust, dirt and assorted crud on the road surface. As soon as there is a decent downpour all of this muck gets washed away and looks like a load of suds as it goes down the road. Be very wary when the first drops of rain fall, as the newly wet solution can be almost as slippery as ice.

I gave the car a bit of right foot (but not much) on the exit of a roundabout this morning and lost the back end, got fairly close to the armco but managed to keep her straight ......just!

[tonyvid]

eunosroadster said:

Could it be the sugar beet added to this year’s salt in some areas, stuck to the road and at last being washed off?

Now that is something that has changed over the last couple of years - I would have thought the previous 3 weeks of solid rain we had would have cleared that by now. Maybe its odd euro-dust blowing over in these southerlies, probably some new fangled bioengineered secret crop pollen they are trying on us without telling us

[jimbro1000]

It isn't an uncommon sight when it rains after a hot, dry spell. All the lovely nasty oil and rubber debris that accumulates in the road gets washed off at the first sign of real rain. The road gets *really* slippery and you get wonderful frothy puddle from the pollution that has just been swept into the gutters.