The recent green light for the ’15 minute city’ in Oxford will no doubt rapidly metastasise through the country. These bureaucratic encroachments on the urban motorist are quite transparent in their intent – all of them are obviously revenue raising schemes for fiscally incontinent local authorities and designed to make sure that getting behind the wheel of your car is such an unpleasant and expensive prospect that you’ll only consider it under the direst of circumstances. Since we’re not incurably credulous, the sensible among us recognise that this is the work of minor technocrats with frustrated ambitions, using what little power they have to exert a little bit more control over us, make our lives just a little bit less free and enjoyable and raise some funds in the process. My local council recently introduced LTN cameras on several streets in the borough, ostensibly to stop those roads being used as ‘rat runs’. They held multiple consultation meetings, with overwhelmingly negative feedback from residents. Nonetheless, they then introduced a trial – again, with negative feedback. At the end of the trial, they declared success and made the set up permanent. Purely coincidentally, they raised several millions of pounds from fines issued during the trial period.
Doubtless, variable speed limits on motorways raise revenue from speed cameras and certainly they put you off using the road unless you absolutely have to get a family of four plus dog and luggage from point A to distant point B. More importantly, though, they are infantilising: they are the state as helicopter parent, terrified that if it leaves us to our own devices we might make bad decisions with bad consequences. Somewhere in a central control room, a computer program designed by experts for the purpose, makes a decision on your behalf based on information from road-surface sensors and constant CCTV. A specially selected and trained functionary keeps an eye on the system and intervenes when necessary or at whim. In big red and white lights, the state tells us: ‘We do not trust your judgement. You are an unruly child and it’s best if we set your boundaries.’ Big, black and white clip art cameras also say: ‘You are under supervision. Don’t forget it.’ Shabana Mahmood’s Benthamite panopticon in action....<<<Read More>>>....
