Rotterdam Traffic Police and the Formation of a Modernist Mobility Dispositif 1915–1940

This study examines the historical roots and socio-political implications of modernist urban traffic regulation in the Dutch city of Rotterdam. It poses the research question: How does the emergence and institutionalisation of the Rotterdam Traffic Police between 1915-1940 help understand the formation of a modernist mobility dispositif in which urban street space is naturalised as dynamic space? Employing a genealogical and dispositif-analytical approach, the study explores archival materials and historical accounts of the Rotterdam Traffic Police. It uncovers the transformation of urban space into dynamic space prioritising continuous and efficient traffic circulation, often at the expense of other social functions. Key findings suggest that the modernist mobility dispositif, socially constructed as a natural evolution of urbanisation and motorisation, was instead a product of deliberate socio-political and institutional efforts, as the conducting of movement became crucial to the execution of state power. The enforcement of traffic discipline through police regulation, traffic propaganda, and the marginalisation of non-motorised and ‘disorderly’ road users facilitated this shift. The study’s contribution lies in its challenging of the perceived inevitability of car-dominated urban spaces, highlighting the role of power dynamics in shaping urban mobility. It calls for a re-evaluation of urban space as a multifunctional entity rather than merely a conduit for vehicular traffic.