"Don't block the box"

[Frank Abate]

ADS listers

The expression "Don't block the box" is used in New York City as a warning to motorists to avoid entering a busy intersection that they cannot get through before the light changes to red.  The city warns, on signs and on the radio, that there will be severe penalties if one is ticketed for this.  At some intersections, "the box" is marked off with white lines painted in that area.  The idea is to prevent gridlock, a particular problem in NYC, esp. during the holiday season.

Is this expression used in other US cities?  Is "the box" in the sense of 'intersection' used in expressions aside from this context?

Thanks in advance for any input,

Frank Abate
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