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It may be the start of the Olympics but so far it’s been empty seats at stadiums, empty hotels, empty restaurants and now empty transport!

This photo is the “crowd management system” at Liverpool street for people going to the Olympic park at 8am today.  All very impressive and you can’t criticise LOCOG for readiness. It just needs people.

But London feels empty and I really worry for our retailers and hoteliers if this persists until 12 September.

All those UK Border queues earlier, the non-stop rain, austerity pressures and the security scares seem to have created a toxic vibe that’s kept people away.

What a shame.

[UPDATE 31/07/12]

It appears we’re not the only ones thinking along these lines. From the London Evening Standard:
Westfield’s Games Boom Brings West End Gloom
Get Out and About and Enjoy London

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