‘One giant pothole’: Bengaluru founder says bad roads are ‘destroying’ people’s health

A Bengaluru-based entrepreneur has claimed that the city’s potholed roads are becoming a health hazard for its residents. Elisha Roy said that her back is starting to feel the effects of travelling almost daily in an autorickshaw over broken roads.A Bengaluru-based founder said that bad roads are affecting her health.“My back is starting to hate Bengaluru,” Roy, the founder of MyMiniMoo, said in a LinkedIn post yesterday.No cabs and broken roadsThe Bengaluru founder explained how Bengaluru’s civic infrastructure is taking a toll on her physical health. She said that long wait times for cabs have forced her to travel in autorickshaws which, in turn, have had a detrimental effect on her health.“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,” she explained.(Also read: ‘98% pothole, 2% road’: Bengaluru man’s viral post sparks outrage and humour online)Roy continued criticising the roads of Bengaluru. She cited an example of one incident where she almost flew out of the auto as the driver tried to dodge a pothole on the road.“And 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,” the entrepreneur said.The cost of bad roadsRoy claimed to know of two people with “slipped discs that were triggered or aggravated their daily commute.”She reflected on the very real cost of bad roads in terms of adverse health effects. “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,” Roy pondered.The entrepreneur also noted that as the IT hub of India, Bengaluru generates a very large amount of economic activity and tax revenue for the government. Despite this, the city’s residents put up with substandard infrastructure, not even getting basic things such as safe, well-maintained roads in return.“Bengaluru is one of the biggest contributors to the country’s tax kitty,” she said on LinkedIn. “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.”“Bengaluru should do better”Elisha Roy concluded her post pointing to multiple problems that plague Bengaluru, including traffic congestion and difficulty in booking cabs.“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,” she said.In the end, she claimed that the city’s roads are not just an inconvenience but a real hazard for its residents.“Bad roads aren’t just an inconvenience anymore. They’re becoming a health problem. And honestly, Bengaluru can and should do better,” Roy concluded.(Also read: Bengaluru resident spends own money to fix potholes, then this happens: ‘Can’t do one nice thing’)