What are they putting on roads in NI...

Mint Sauce

that they are not putting on roads here (roi).

Not a wet day in my part of the Northwest, the odd light shower. But anytime that I drive through NI on similar days, the car always ends up so much dirtier compared to on equivalent roads in ROI.

Is it the road surface, the salt/sand used to treat it, what. Either way i'm using the windpw washers alot more to keep the windscreen see through.

slimjimmc

I guess it's more to do with different road surfaces. Here the roads tend to have a more open coarser top layer that may give better drainage so less fine spray.

bazz26

Probably the gritting they are spraying over the last month or so due to the time of year. It's similar down my way, alot more dirt on the windscreen lately since they started gritting the roads.

kay 9

I always found their roads cleaner lol. They're like dirt tracks here in connaught

Mint Sauce

kay 9 wrote: »

I always found their roads cleaner lol. They're like dirt tracks here in connaught

The main or regional roads. Never noticed the likes of the N4, 15, 16, 17, or 59, or in surounding counties that dirty compared to the fine spray thrown up by the A Roads in NI.

Mefistofelino

Are they still using a salt / molasses mix on the roads in NI?

Cuddlesworth

slimjimmc wrote: »

I guess it's more to do with different road surfaces. Here the roads tend to have a more open coarser top layer that may give better drainage so less fine spray.

You haven't been on many of our "new" roads recently then.

Mec-a-nic

NI has a very large Salt Mine near Carrickfergus - so I guess they are pretty generous with it:

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-22017775

slimjimmc

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

You haven't been on many of our "new" roads recently then.

I have many times which is why I suggested the surface may be a factor. An example is the M9 northbound at Kilcullen where the surface changes from smooth to course, suddenly the amount of road spray drops on the rougher surface.
The majority of roads are not of the smoother type so it's a valid suggestion imo.

bladespin

Molases as mentioned above, drops the freezing point drastically, used in Canada too.

kay 9

Mint Sauce wrote: »

The main or regional roads. Never noticed the likes of the N4, 15, 16, 17, or 59, or in surounding counties that dirty compared to the fine spray thrown up by the A Roads in NI.

The headford to Galway Rd ain't good. The n17 isn't bad though agree.

i57dwun4yb1pt8

Mec-a-nic wrote: »

NI has a very large Salt Mine near Carrickfergus - so I guess they are pretty generous with it:

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-22017775

" I mined my salllllllttttttttt, in carrick ferrrrrrerrrrrrgassssss "

somefeen

Its a definite Uk thing. Drove the A9 over there recently and it was window washers every 20 minutes or so, even worse if behind another car.
Came down the A1 from Belfast to last week and same thing.