By Brian McBride
Associate Editor

The Kissimmee Police Department handed out more than 40 tickets at $166 apiece last week after the traffic unit worked to curb an increase of motorists clogging the intersection of Emmett Street and John Young Parkway, better known in police terms as “blocking the box.”

During peak traffic hours from 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. between March 29 and April 1, traffic unit officers stood on the sidewalk in front of the BP gas station, 10 S. John Young Parkway. And there, they waited to see which cars would cause gridlock as motorists tried to turn south onto John Young Parkway from Emmett Street. Offenders who tried to make the turn but were caught in the middle because of snarled traffic were told by officers to pull to the shoulder of the parkway.

In the end, 44 motorists received tickets carrying the $166 fine.

“When people block intersections it prevents traffic from other directions to flow freely, causing even more traffic problems,” Stacie Miller, police department spokesperson, said.

The enforcement is nothing new for police. The department has done several campaigns on “blocking the box” through the media as well as the unit stopping drivers for a period of time and giving warnings before handing out citations.

The intersections at John Young Parkway and Emmett Street, John Young Parkway and Mabbette Street, and Emmett and Patrick streets are the most problematic, Miller said.

Periodically, the unit will dedicate a large amount of time to do intersection enforcement, police officials said. The recent campaign was done after the unit noticed the problem rising in the enforcement area.

“The traffic enforcement unit watches trends and noticed an increase in motorists not adhering to the intersection laws,” Miller said.

How can motorists avoid the steep fines in future enforcements?

“If traffic is backing up in front of you and you are coming to the intersection, stop before the intersection, even if the light is green, and only proceed through when you are sure you can make it to the other side of the intersection,” Miller said.

The unit is hoping a traffic light modification might help with congestion relief during the afternoon rush hour.

“The Traffic Enforcement Unit is in the process of trying to get the light at John Young Parkway and Patrick (Street) on a flash, to see if this will alleviate the traffic problem during the stretch between Mabbette and Patrick (streets),” Miller said.

The signals on John Young Parkway, south of U.S. Highway 192, are under the control of Florida Department of Transportation, Kissimmee Public Works Director Dave Derrick said. The city has a maintenance contract with the FDOT and installs the timings as per the agency’s direction.

“We have an excellent relationship with them and, in fact, they are conducting a study of the (Patrick Street) signal and intersection to see what improvements can be made,” Derrick said.

In addition to the 44 tickets written, 11 red-light running tickets were issued during the enforcement among other moving violations.