O Conselho Municipal de Transporte e Trânsito de São Paulo (CMTT/SP): participação e mobilidade urbana

Abstract

This research analyses the relationship between the creation and development of the São Paulo Municipal Transport and Traffic Council (CMTT-SP) and the June 2013 Protests. Given the proximity of the Protests with the creation of the CMTT and the similarity of the themes, we analyze the complexity of the interweaving of participation, linking the causes and actors of the June 2013 Protests to the participatory institution. This research uses as theoretical basis neoinstitutionalism, deliberative democracy and participatory democracy theory to understand the definitions of institutionalized participation, extra-institutional participation, participatory institution and institutionalization of participation. Also, we situate the concepts in the Brazilian democratic reality, establishing the links between a modality of street protest and the development of an urban mobility policy management council. The research is a case study and adopts a qualitative approach, delimiting as the period of analysis from 2013 to 2017, during the Protests and the creation and development of the CMTT, until the change of city mayor. To answer the proposed objectives we analysed the councils documents, news that contextualized the performance of the actors and legislation related to transportation and urban mobility. We also did semi-structured interview with council members and with members of social movements related to mobility, especially the Free Pass Movement (MPL), indagating on their participation in Protests and in the CMTT. Data analysis showed that the Municipal Transport and Traffic Council held important discussions on urban mobility, allowing the representation of groups that would not have voice if this space did not exist, mainly for the elaboration of the Municipal Mobility Plan. The institutionalization of participation, adopted by the Haddad government by street pressure in June 2013, although there was already a legal need to create the CMTT, proved to be fundamental for the defense of public transport, because there are conflicting interests in the delimitation of public transport space. Although the MPL has formally refused to participate in the Council, some members follow the discussions indirectly. We conclude that there was a very complex relationship between the Council and the June Protests. The themes, the logics of action and the discursive repertoires of the Manifestations appeared at various moments in the Council's trajectory, evidencing the interweaving between the two participatory processes and proving the hypothesis presented in this work.