Traffic Power Structure

by Planka.nu

The modern traffic system is ecologically unsustainable, emotionally stressful, and poses a physical threat to individuals and communities alike. Traffic is not only an ecological and social problem but also a political one. Modern traffic reproduces the rule of the state and capital and is closely linked to class society. It is a problem of power. At its core lies the notion of “automobility,” a contradictory ideal of free movement closely linked to a tight web of regulations and control mechanisms. This is the main thesis of the manifesto The Traffic Power Structure , penned by the Sweden-based activist network Planka.nu. Planka.nu was founded in 2001 to fight for free public transport. Thanks to creative direct action, witty public interventions, and thought-provoking statements, the network has become a leading voice in Scandinavian debates on traffic. In its manifesto, Planka.nu presents a critique of the automobile society, analyzes the connections between traffic, the environment, and class, and outlines its political vision. The topics explored along the way include Bruce Springsteen, high-speed trains, nuclear power, the security-industrial complex, happiness research, and volcano eruptions. Planka.nu rejects demands to travel ever-longer distances in order to satisfy our most basic needs while we lose all sense for proximity and community. The Traffic Power Structure argues for a different kind of traffic in a different kind of world. The book has received several awards in Sweden and has been hailed by Swedish media as a “manifesto of striking analytical depth, based on profound knowledge and a will to agitation that demands our respect” ( Ny Tid ).

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Urban Planning

96 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2016

Reviews

[Zack Gebhardt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anti-traffic, anti-car, anti-high speed rail, anti-automotive development, anti-airplane, anti-podcar, anti-everything with very few alternatives offered. This pamphlet outlines some of the philosophies being worked out by contemporary traffic academics and pokes at some of the connections between globalist corporatocracy and individuated domestic life, but doesn't name names very often, and never travels very far from Copenhagen. That being said, I still found this an enjoyable agitator on a day when I wasn't yet feeling particularly annoyed by postmodern urban design. Now I have some fresh fodder for online armchair urban planning debates, some new avenues for research, (Joshua Hart thick data on commute/community relationships in Bristol, UK? Google scholar here I come!) and can go to bed sufficiently angry at my local politicians again. Thanks, Planka.nu! Can you write an updated version that looks at rideshare apps please?

[Taylor Griggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Both driving and flying lead to a disregard of all the curious details that break the monotony of everyday life.”

3.5 stars
This is a pretty interesting little book that has some really good insights at parts and other times it’s a little all over the place.

I am less interested in the idea of a traffic “power structure” (that cars>bikes power-wise isn’t really a profound realization) than I am in some other parts of this little booklet. The section about speed (criticizing high speed rail in a way that was novel to me) and staying local was my favorite part.

I am starting to enjoy living a more localized life where I can’t get very far very fast because I don’t have a car and I really prefer not to fly. I like my life a lot better now because I have to think carefully about where I go and what I do.

[Nick Doty · Rating 4 out of 5]

We are encouraged to question how the automobility system affects us, what negative structures it puts in place, how we feel obligated and controlled even by the car that seems like a symbol of freedom. An argument for how technology is political and how we have a choice about the technical systems we use to order society.

The middle of this text drags -- it falls too deep into Marxist philosophy, almost to the point of conspiracy thinking -- but the beginning and end more than make up for it.

I would have loved to see more positive suggestions, but the initial outline is grand, that we need to re-architecture society to make commuting and work less of a priority, for the sake of our environment, our happiness and our societal cohesion.

[RR · Rating 4 out of 5]

a different perspective and a good reminder to think about timing, power, space, and automobiles.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun as hell, thought provoking, wide-ranging and optimistic. What else can you ask for?

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential

[isaac lim · Rating 5 out of 5]

i haven't read this book but I hate cars so it must be really good

[Jake Smerechniak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed diving into the theoretics of this topic. The Traffic Power Structure takes many facts we already know about the mechanics of public/private transport (and the inequities of it) and formats them in a new light. For instance, it's widely known that airplane travel is one of the top pollutants to our environment, but it wasn't until I read this book that I fully understood the ethical injustice to it. Although we don't have an alternative to air travel yet that can compete with its pros (speed, being the main one), it bears mentioning that a majority of the planet's population has never and will never fly on an airplane. Yet, the entire planet's inhabitants suffer by way of its cons.

This was an enlightening manuscript that uses the transit structure in Stockholm as an example of how we should do better. So many parallels to the MTA. A lot can be gleaned from their take on the corruptibility of vehicle travel as it pertains to the fallacy of individual freedom.

[Chantal Jandard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite mostly agreeing with the premise of the book (cars suck, current transport methods are flawed), I found its arguments to be very one-dimensional. It presents a single view of the world, in which people never go farther than their backyard, without considering much else.

[Zoë · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75/5

[Harry Simpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gotta love a bit of transit nerdiness mixed with progressive analysis.

[Michal Paszkiewicz · Rating 1 out of 5]

http://www.michalpaszkiewicz.co.uk/bl...

[niftynei · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting outline of the inherent power structure in transportation decisions, but there's not much in the way of a counter-proposal to the automobile.