“War Rooms” of the Street: Surveillance Practices in Transportation Control Centers

Abstract

This article investigates the surveillance dimensions of “intelligent transportation systems” in the United States, with a particular focus on the mediation of data by engineers in transportation control centers. These communication systems lend themselves to surveillance by means of “function creep” beyond their primary intended purposes and through the everyday collection and manipulation of data to manage mobilities. In the U.S., dominant system protocols privilege vehicular throughput and discipline those who deviate from that norm.