Every day, hundreds of taxi drivers in Hohoe, Ghana drive commuters to workplaces, weekly markets, and wherever else they need to go. Over the past few months, though, a growing plague of potholes has made this normally smooth journey increasingly bumpy.
According to News Ghana, this past Monday, drivers took matters into their own hands, trading their steering wheels for shovels. For twelve hours, over a hundred drivers filled potholes.
"According to them, the deplorable state of the roads, which has worsened with the onset of the rains, was having adverse effect on their vehicles and meagre resources," writes News Ghana. Despite repeated complaints, authorities weren't doing much.
Ghana has a reputation for underserved potholes. In 2014, two women made headlines after bathing in one to make a point. One popular joke goes "Pothole promotion: dodge one, get two or more free." This year, roads throughout the country are suffering, holepunched by bad rains, bad luck, and potentially shoddy construction.
In Hohoe, the Municipal Assembly kicked in some filler clay, and the Municipal Chief Executive also helped out. As for the would-be passengers, they had to walk, and business was slow. Thanks to the drivers, though, life should return to its normal pace tomorrow.
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