Potholes

Until recently, I greatly appreciated living in Mexico City when I crossed into the State of Mexico. The difference in public services between the two states was evident. Those in the capital were far superior. For example, the paving of the streets. There were many more potholes in the State of Mexico than in Mexico City.

That was the case until recently, because now my state is more like its neighbor. It's not that the Mexican government has improved, but rather that the capital's is in decline.

We're becoming more and more similar in the number of potholes on the streets. They've certainly proliferated due to the summer rains. However, I notice that there are more of them now, and they're more dangerous because of their width and depth.

They're everywhere. No neighborhood is spared. It's common to see a line of cars stuck with flat tires. The situation becomes more complicated when it rains, as the water covers the potholes, making them impossible to see and avoid. It's also a real pain to have to change a tire when it's pouring down.

Often, in addition to tire bursts, the car's suspension is damaged, which further complicates the lives and pockets of drivers who have to pay for repairs because, obviously, the government doesn't take responsibility for the poorly paved streets and avenues.

The Mexico City Marathon recently took place. On Calzada Chivatito, near the intersection with Paseo de la Reforma, several wheelchair runners fell into potholes in the road. What a disgrace. The city government couldn't ensure that this road was in perfect condition for an event as important as the Marathon.

The capital's mayor, faithful to the Morena style of denying reality and inventing euphemisms for problems, denied the existence of potholes, asserting that the incidents were due to "a poorly covered manhole cover that caused the deformity of the roadway."

If I understand correctly, there was an open manhole cover. I don't know if Clara Brugada is right or not, but it's crystal clear to me that part of the problems chilangos face on their streets are precisely the open manhole covers.

It's always seemed a mystery to me why this phenomenon occurs so frequently in Mexico compared to other latitudes. They'll say that it rains a lot here, and therefore the water from the drain overflows, forcing the drain covers to burst. If this is the case, wouldn't there be an engineering solution to prevent so many clogged drains?

Recently, Morena's national leader, Luisa María Alcalde , said: "Let's start today so that in the near future we can assure people that when Morena governs, there are no potholes. When Morena governs, there are no drainage problems. When Morena governs, there are no street lighting problems. We'll be able to say that, but we have to start this project now, and we're doing it."

Some Morena party sympathizer, and there are many, altered the video of this statement and posted it on social media. In the altered version, the mayor claims that "where Morena governs, there are no potholes." The world came crashing down on him because people, both those who use cars and public transportation, know that cities in Mexico are riddled with potholes. They accused the Morena president of being a liar.

It is not because of this statement that was cunningly changed.

But I do find it unfair that the mayor is proposing that the pothole problem will be fixed in the future when Morena governs. It turns out that in the city where I live, the left has been governing for 28 years, first with the PRD and now with Morena.

I don't know if it would be in the interest of the Morena leader to distance herself from the PRD governments of Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas , Andrés Manuel López Obrador , and Marcelo Ebrard . Perhaps it would be in the interest of Miguel Ángel Mancera , whom the Morena supporters dislike.

And there is, of course, the capital's management of the current president, Claudia Sheinbaum .

The truth is that, when it comes to potholes, we've always had problems in the capital. However, as I mentioned above, they're nothing compared to the metropolitan municipalities of the State of Mexico.

Until recently, the difference was obvious. Not anymore, now with Brugada . Since this government took office, the difference has been noticeable. Public services have deteriorated. The potholes are, I dare say, worse than ever.

The former mayor of Iztapalapa has promised to replicate her "utopia" model throughout the capital. I dream of another utopia: the day in this city you can drive without the fear of falling into a hole that will destroy your suspension.