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@gbj_tester
That old thing is just a promotional tool for the bike hire company.
Other fat 'road' tires are, as you say, pointless for smooth(ish) tarmac where Big Apples are plenty, but for Brighton beach*, I can see why you would simultaneously desire flotation and no tread. Riding narrow tyres on loose pebbles you just sink into them. Wide treadless tyres would probably work quite well on sand beaches in the intertidal zone too, again avoiding sinking into the soft sand and eliminating the high drag which can accompany the localised displacement caused by tread knobs.
*I'm sure other people will have their own examples of rocky terrain where knobby treads won't help but float will