The roads in Jämtland have been named Sweden’s worst, and now both politicians and private individuals in Jämtland are outraged by the poor quality – and demand that they be upgraded. But in the Swedish Transport Administration’s proposal for a strategic plan, there are no investments that make it possible, according to Jämtland’s regional development board.
– Several of our important, larger roads look like carriage roads. This is completely unacceptable, says Jonas Andersson (S), chairman of the Jämtland/Härjedalen development committee.
Tilda Davidsson lives in the village of Skylnäs a few miles east of Östersund. A year ago, she drove into the ditch and overturned the car.
– Part of the road was completely submerged, which caused me to lose control of the car and drive off the road. Now I was lucky and managed without any major injuries, but it could have been much worse, says Tilda Davidson.
The residents of the village where Tilda’s accident occurred have for many years fought to have the road repaired.
But to no avail.
“Our children are running off the road”
– I think it is deplorable that nothing is being done. I mean, it’s not reasonable that our children drive off the road and injure themselves because the road is not up to standard, says Jeanette Johansson, one of the villagers in Skylnäs.
According to a recent survey by the transport companies, Jämtland has the worst roads in the country. 20 percent of state roads were in very poor condition, according to the survey.
Roads in other parts of the country are also criticized.
– The maintenance debt on the Swedish road network has increased between 2022 and 2023, from 16.5 billion to 19.1 billion. 11 percent of the state roads were in very poor condition in 2023. And then we have not started to pay off the maintenance debt, only stopped further decay, says Marcus Dahlsten, CEO of Transportföretagen.
Directs sharp criticism
In a letter, several of Jämtland’s leading politicians have now directed sharp criticism at the lack of standard of the roads and that neither the government nor the Swedish Transport Administration increases the allocations so that the quality of the roads can be improved.
– We can’t have it like this. Our roads have potholes, large cracks and bumps, which affects both those who live in Jämtland and also tourists who come here. Cars break down and the safety of road users is endangered, says Jonas Andersson (S), chairman of the Jämtland/Härjedalen development committee.
– I understand that politicians react to road quality. The only problem is that we have the financial means we have and the money is not enough for everything. We have to prioritize, says Jonas Eliasson, target director at the Swedish Transport Administration.