I told you so…

New year, same traffic situation.
Gothenburg is growing fast, but there is a risk that when everything is done we are going to have an empty city center.

Last fall I wrote a debate article about how the current traffic situation is driving entrepreneurs towards bankruptcy. It was published in Swedish magazine GöteborgsPosten (GP), where we, just before Christmas, could also read about Albert Andersson’s Chark. They were forced to shut down their business in Saluhallen, where they had existed for 120 years.

120 years!

But now that 2019 is here, they have been forced to shut down their business. One of the owners, Magnus Knudsen, to GP:
– There are fewer customers now that everything is closed off. Soon the customers won’t be allowed here with their cars, and we cannot see any improvement for the next ten years, with Västlänken and all.

Well, I told you so.

I told you that I would not be surprised if there will be an increase in numbers of empty store premises within a few months, due to business owners who have been forced to close or go bankrupt because of the ongoing traffic situation in Gothenburg.

I am well aware that e-commerce claims large shares of customers from the stores. However, as far as I know, they are not buying their charcuteries online. As for other industries, there is no wonder why people choose to shop online before going to town. On the internet, the traffic flow is much better than in the city center. Regardless of your connection...

The traffic flow is also better in Partille (Allum), in Mölndal (Mölndal Galleria) and in Kungälv, where Kongahälla Shopping will be ready during 2019.
I understand the concerns of small business owners within the moat.

I did not want to be right in this scenario, but it really wasn’t very hard to predict. The question is – how could the politicians and decision makers not predict the same thing?