Road surfaces themselves have quite a bit of "tread." Unless you're on loose stuff, the minimal tread found on a road-type tire isn't too relevant, certainly not for clearing water from under the contact patch. The road surface has enough negative space for that.
In the bigger picture, as a commuter, what you should be most concerned about in wet conditions is wet manhole covers and slick crosswalk stripes, that sort of thing.
Last edited by mechBgon; 03-25-12 at 09:24 AM.