No more cycling through puddles – permeable road surface sucks up water (+ video)

I would imagine this is the same draining tarmac that the Italian Autostrade have been paved with for the past decade or so.

I believe that they have been using this (or a material with the properties) in the Netherlands for years. Someone was telling me about it on a work trip there about 7 years ago. He said the advantage is that it prevents frost damage to the road during freezing periods. However the Netherlands has a lot of water in the ground and they have good drainage which they keep well maintained. I'm not convinced it would work in the UK where we don't take such care.

Personally, I'd rather they did the fucking roads properly. You know? With a proper camber and a smooth surface.
Like the Romans did.

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Why don't we just have more regulations on concreting over gardens, etc.. Then we wouldn't have this flooding problem.

Our roads are barely maintained as it is, never mind cleaned. This one for the distant future, Id have thought.

A pragmatic approach from local authorities would be to ensure that drains, ditches, galleys and culverts are kept clear and in good working order. These features are the primary means of preventing excess water build up on the roads but all to often these days are neglected and left to block up and contribute to more and more example of local floods.

http://water.epa.gov/polwaste/npdes/swbmp/Porous-Asphalt-Pavement.cfm

In true flooding and the added bonus of silt etc, this would be useless

Under floor heating for the winter and we're sorted.

I have this stuff in my city; some of New Orleans has it post Hurricane Katrina rebuild, too. It has been around for at least 10 years (maybe not same name brand, but same principal design...the best analogy I can give is that it's like a giant concrete Rice Krispie Treat),and there are some good and bad points about it. Really the two bad things about it is one, the surface is very abrasive. You'd eat up tires quickly using it for extended periods. It's mostly for sidewalks or parking lots. The other is that it can clog up after several years and just becomes useless in really heavy rain. Dirt, debris, sand, etc, can clog it, as it just settles inside and has no place to go.

It's gravel and glue basically?

Interesting.

Would it also be permeable coming back the other way? For example, would warmer ground vapour be able to percolate up and then freeze on the surface or even cause vapour / fog to collect above the road surface reducing visibility of road markings and edges?

But when it freezes and expands and cracks it, that is when you have to worry.

But when it freezes and expands and cracks it, that is when you have to worry.