A minefield of good intentions

Sometimes it takes a minor accident for many Athenians to understand just how lucky they are to be fully mobile and able-bodied. Kathimerini has reported extensively on the dire state of the streets and sidewalks in the city center, publishing photographs of potholes, broken paving stones, the slipshod laying of road surfaces and other everyday features that are a constant peril to motorists and pedestrians alike.

Any mention of a slip or a fall prompts a barrage of similar stories from others, tales of sprains, bruises, breaks and even more serious injuries, so that all of us who have been hurt while going about our daily business come to form a community of sorts. Some even keep a record of cracked sidewalks, pitted roads and other such maintenance faults on their cell phones.

Athens is a minefield of good intentions that makes you wonder whether anyone is actually...