Bengaluru’s infamous potholes have become more than just a traffic nuisance. It has led one entrepreneur to highlight the impact on health those take, as she chooses to travel on the city’s battered roads on a daily basis to commute to work. She said that her back has begun to “hate Bengaluru” after frequent auto-rickshaw rides over potholes and uneven stretches.
Elisha Roy, the founder and CEO of MyMiniMoo, took to LinkedIn to share her experience of commuting through the city, arguing that Bengaluru’s deteriorating road conditions are turning into a health hazard.
“My back is starting to hate Bengaluru,” she said. “I’d happily pay more for a cab, but a cab takes so much longer because of the traffic, so I take an auto. But autos don’t have the suspension
to absorb these ridiculous roads, so every bump, crater and uneven patch goes straight into your back.”
“Road Was Basically One Giant Pothole”
She then recalled an incident when she nearly flew out of an autorickshaw as the driver attempted to avoid a pothole. “Honestly, I couldn’t even blame him. He was trying to avoid one pothole while driving through a road that was basically one giant pothole,” she shared, adding that the impact of poor roads goes beyond an inconvenience.
She said that she knows two people whose slipped discs were triggered or aggravated by their daily commute. “We complain about Bengaluru traffic because it wastes our time, but what about the physical cost of getting from point A to B every single day? The back pain. The neck pain. The constant jolting. The injuries,” she wrote. “And the frustrating part? Bengaluru is one of the biggest contributors to the country’s tax kitty.”
“They’re Becoming A Health Problem”
She added, “With the amount of economic activity and tax revenue this city generates, asking for roads that are actually safe to drive on shouldn’t be an unreasonable expectation. I shouldn’t have to choose between: A cab that costs more and takes forever, or an auto that gets me there faster but potentially destroys my back.”
At the end, she argued that potholes and badly maintained roads should no longer be viewed simply as an inconvenience. “Bad roads aren’t just an inconvenience anymore. They’re becoming a health problem. And honestly, Bengaluru can and should do better,” she said.
Internet Shares Their Own Experiences With City’s Bad Roads
Her post has since garnered attention on the platform, with people higlighting the city’s long-running road and infrastructure woes.
“You are touching much bigger issue. Frankly, how can a potholes exist in a well laid road?? It is more of failure of engineering culture in India than so called hole in a road,” said a user.
Another quipped, “There needs to be a revolution type to make this correct, corrupt country with loot everywhere.”
“One year into the city and travelling in cabs and Im doing physio for back pain. Quality of life consideration,” commented an individual.
Meanwhile, someone suggested, “In auto sit crossed legs and keep the back erect..it helps…I had similar problem but got relief when I changed my sitting position.”
Disclaimer: This article is based on user-generated content. The claims made in the original post have not been independently verified by News18
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