Operational Evaluation of Do Not Block the Box Campaigns in Georgia
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Summary
This study evaluates the operational effectiveness of “Do Not Block the Box” (DBTB) campaigns implemented at signalized intersections in Georgia. The research was motivated by the need to manage traffic congestion and prevent gridlock, which occurs when vehicles enter intersections without sufficient space to exit, obstructing conflicting traffic and pedestrian movements. While DBTB treatments are low-cost measures used globally to keep intersections clear, their specific impact on driver behavior and traffic operations in Georgia required empirical assessment. The primary objective was to provide the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) and the Perimeter Community Improvement District with a before-and-after analysis of DBTB implementation to inform future traffic management decisions. The methodology involved collecting video data at selected intersections before and after the installation of DBTB signage and pavement markings. Researchers deployed portable video recording platforms to capture traffic during peak and off-peak hours. To analyze the footage, the team developed a custom software tool, the Georgia Tech Multi Video Player (GT-MVP), to efficiently extract blocking event data and categorize vehicles in block-source lanes. The core metric analyzed was the “propensity to block,” defined as the likelihood of a vehicle entering the intersection box when insufficient exit space existed. Additionally, a microscopic traffic simulation using PTV VISSIM was conducted to model the relationship between blocking behavior, vehicle delay, and intersection capacity, allowing for the exploration of potential operational impacts that field data alone could not fully capture. The findings revealed that the DBTB treatments, as standalone measures, did not meaningfully reduce blocking behavior. The change in propensity to block was inconsistent across sites, with some intersections showing increases and others showing decreases. Crucially, the aggregate propensity to block remained consistently high in both pre- and post-treatment conditions. The lowest observed aggregate propensity was 55%, with all other periods exceeding 60% and half of the observed periods reaching 70%. Significant day-to-day variability in blocking opportunities was also noted. The simulation study confirmed that while blocking can cause significant delays and gridlock, even partial reductions in blocking could yield substantial operational improvements, suggesting that the studied intersections would benefit from lower blocking rates despite the current treatments' failure to achieve them. The study concludes that DBTB signage and markings alone are insufficient to alter driver behavior significantly. The authors recommend a comprehensive strategy to address intersection blocking, prioritizing signal timing adjustments to reduce blocking opportunities by matching upstream arrivals to downstream capacity. Other recommendations include eliminating free-flow turn movements during congested periods, limiting DBTB applications to intersections where blocking significantly impacts capacity, and implementing public education and enforcement programs. The research underscores the importance of combining engineering solutions with behavioral interventions to effectively mitigate gridlock and improve intersection performance.
Key finding
The standalone Do Not Block the Box treatment did not meaningfully impact blocking behavior, as aggregate propensities to block remained consistently high with the lowest observed rate at 55% and half of the periods exceeding 70%.
Methodology
mixed_methods
Provenance
The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed. Discovered via bulk_ingest_rosap on 2026-05-23 (6 acquisition events logged).
| Stage | Outcome | Tool | Model | Prompt | Attempts | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| discover | success | rosap | — | — | 2 | 2026-05-23 |
| archive | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| extract | success | cached | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
| clean | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-01 |
| chunk | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-01 |
| embed | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-06-02 |
| enrich | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| promote | success | — | — | — | 1 | 2026-05-23 |
| summarize | success | llm | qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant | summ-v5 | 3 | 2026-06-10 |
| tag | success | vector_similarity | — | — | 24 | 2026-06-11 |
| verify | success | — | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.
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- Applied Guidance: countermeasure evaluation