Erik Helmerson: Imagine an OS in the middle of the gridlock

in the Past for a bit of snow adduced as an argument against holding the winter OLYMPICS in Stockholm. Now we can add a new concern: too much snow.

The winter olympics in 2026, which is now being debated widely is to take place between the 6 and 22 February. So funny: it is now! And how it looks in Stockholm these days all know that is not under house arrest. With this newsprint the words: ” massive problems with public transport”. It is växelfel and signal errors. The metro is standing still. The buses are slipping and set up. Roslagsbanans doors can not be opened. The commuter is... well, the commuter.

on the weather, notes, SL's long-suffering press. ”But today, it is our own infrastructure that is the problem.” Indeed. Exciting to see what is causing tomorrow's chaos.

Should we do the thought experiment to throw in 700 000 rosenkindade OS-visitors in the equation? (The estimate comes from an analysis of Sweco).

”Accessibility to the various eventing arenas will partially become strained during the games,” writes the city of Stockholm in its investigation, ”but is expected to be manageable over the weeks as the arrangement is in progress”. Excuse me, but the accessibility is, of course, is rampant even without an OS?

Should we do the thought experiment to throw in 700 000 rosenkindade OS-visitors in the equation?

A taste of what it means to keep large events in the shadow of the Stockholm inability to combine the snow and the functioning of the infrastructure we get, the ongoing alpine world ski CHAMPIONSHIPS in Åre. Downhillers on the way there got stuck in the capital: ”We wanted to take a taxi to the city centre, but it was two hours of queuing in minus 15 degrees”. The luggage disappeared on the way, including tävlingsdräkter. The same Åre, the Stockholm co-organizer of the OS.

curved and a majority now argues that the search of the games have a heavy argument against them fallen. But others remain. The most important thing is that the politicians and the entrepreneurs always become snöblinda in this context; glädjekalkyler dunkas triumphant against the conference table, the bill becomes immensely more expensive and there is always someone else, read ”you”, who pay.

Let us hope that the International olympic committee take note of what is happening now in the supposed OLYMPIC city, and asks how Stockholm should be able to ship hundreds of thousands of people to the various venues where today's residents not even able to get to work. This kaosvinter at least brought something good with it.

we can take the opportunity to introduce some of the new OS-branches: snöcykling, isvurpa by konstlandning, 200 metres pulsing and sprint towards the full bus.