94 | TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT
Can ITS fight terror in Moscow?
The control of ITS in Moscow is now closely overseen by the government, with significant upgrades planned and a promise to fight terrorism. But critics fear that citizens’ civil liberties are at risk Words | Eugene Gerden
In the wake of the St Petersburg subway bombing, which claimed eight lives on April 3, 2017, the Russian government is tightening state control of intelligent transportation system (ITS) operations in Moscow, promising it will use new powers to fight the perceived growing terror threat. This involves the transferring of control of the operation, maintenance and repair of Moscow’s ITS to the Russian Federal Protective Service (Federal’naya Sluzhba Okhrani, or FSO) one of the most powerful and closed state agencies in Russia, the activities of which are directly controlled by the Russian Presidential Administration. The transfer of power took place after a tender for the operation of Moscow’s ITS, which was won by Sveko, a federal state
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‘unitary enterprise’ which is effectively an integral part of the Russian Federal Protective Service. The value of the contract amounted to RUB3.88bn (US$70m), which is slightly lower than its starting price of RUB4.02bn. The list of other bidders included Rostelecom, Russia’s leading long-distance telephony provider, as well as several other leading Russian IT corporations. The tender for the operation, maintenance and repair of Moscow’s ITS was announced in April 2016 by the Center for Organization of Road Traffic (CORT), a state service responsible for the organization of road traffic in Russia. The final results, however, were not revealed until a year later.
