BajaNomad

Tijuana / San Ysidro and Otay border wait report on Baja California Radio

fdt - 8-17-2007 at 03:57 PM

I will now, starting today try to give you a border wait report every hour on the hour both for San Ysidro and Otay, number of open lanes and number of cars on each side. There is sometimes up to 2 minutes lag time for the stream to get from us to the server and then to you so it might be on the 2 past the hour. So in 6 minutes I will give my first report.
All this thru Baja Radio of course.
saludos

oldhippie - 8-17-2007 at 04:10 PM

How could a conversion from number of lanes and cars to wait time be done? Which is really what everyone wants to know.

number of cars divided by the number of lanes times 0.5 minutes per car?

That might be a good guess at the wait time.

fdt - 8-17-2007 at 04:14 PM

For acuracy, number of cars does not fail because if you know from experience, you could start your wait and the guy on the lane next to you will cross a lot sooner than you, when you go by times it is usualy wrong. Sorry.

fdt - 8-17-2007 at 04:15 PM

Next report at 5PM PT

oldhippie - 8-17-2007 at 04:25 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by fdt
For acuracy, number of cars does not fail because if you know from experience, you could start your wait and the guy on the lane next to you will cross a lot sooner than you, when you go by times it is usualy wrong. Sorry.


Well, I'm sorry.

Everyone does some kind of conversion from number of cars to time, that's the whole point.

The number of cars is meaningless by itself.

I'm just wondering what a reasonable conversion is.

DENNIS - 8-17-2007 at 04:42 PM

Aw, c'mon "olnegativeone"....... Let him give it a try.

fdt - 8-17-2007 at 04:48 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by oldhippie

Everyone does some kind of conversion from number of cars to time, that's the whole point.

The number of cars is meaningless by itself.


I'm trying to do it the right way and in no case am I trying to do what everybody does, just from experience number of cars is the only accurate thing because those can be actualy counted, wait time is not accurate at all.
I will do these reports with number of cars every hour for your convenience, if you want to figure 2, 3 or even 5 minutes per car, it's up to you. There are some trick to this time prediction, because a border wait time is only a prediction and not something factual like a number of vehicles in line.
For example if there are 200 cars on the left and 85 on the right, taking the left would probably be faster than the right, why? because the left is 3 lanes that open up to 8 lanes and the right opens up to nothing more, so yopu have to figure it out as to your personal experience.
Saludos

fdt - 8-17-2007 at 04:59 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Hose A
Quote:
Originally posted by fdt
Next report at 5PM PT

Is that Mexican time or Gringo time ?

Gringexican time :lol:

DENNIS - 8-17-2007 at 05:06 PM

What the border needs is a sensor in the ground on the Mexican side. One for each lane telling the flow rate.
It also needs a review of decency at the end end of the line.

fdt - 8-17-2007 at 05:07 PM

Hope it was usefull, next report at 6

DENNIS - 8-17-2007 at 05:23 PM

Great music, Ferna.........5:20 and everything is working well.

Thanks

CaboRon - 8-17-2007 at 05:32 PM

thank you .... thank you .... I finally got it ... it is coming in on the Real Audio Player for me....

Hey, and I LOVE your choice of music :bounce:

- CaboRon

fdt - 8-17-2007 at 07:00 PM

7PM report comming up

docsmom - 8-17-2007 at 07:26 PM

"Gringexican time". Where I am for the first 12 to 24 hours in Mexico, starting at totally stressed, working toward totally relaxed. 25th hour forward, aaahhhhhh.........
:yes:

805gregg - 8-17-2007 at 07:49 PM

I just came through Tecate, yesterday at about 12 noon, only 1 car in front of me. 3 min tops.

oldhippie - 8-18-2007 at 09:19 AM

fdt,

You're absolutely correct that the number of cars is the only info that can be provided with a reasonable amount of accuracy and it THE factor in trying to figure out how much time it will take to get across. I was not saying YOU should try to derive a time estimate from it, I was wondering how someone trying to decide when to cross could come to some conclusion about the time it will take given the number of cars.

And it is complicated because of the big fanning out differences between entering from the west or the east. Therefore you would need a different conversion factor for each one.

I was thinking that there might be some people reading this thread that have there own methods/formulas for making use of the number of cars information and they would post what they think.

I guessed that on the average, a car is cleared to cross every 30 seconds in each lane. From there you need to factor in how many lanes are available from the east and how many from the west. From there you need to consider the fanning out of lanes as you get close to the border.

I know it's complicated. But is it too complicated?

Again, you're correct, the number of cars is all you can provide and doing so is a good thing. I did not mean to belittle that in any way.

I just like playing with numbers and figuring things out.

elgatoloco - 8-18-2007 at 10:22 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by oldhippie
fdt,

You're absolutely correct that the number of cars is the only info that can be provided with a reasonable amount of accuracy and it THE factor in trying to figure out how much time it will take to get across. I was not saying YOU should try to derive a time estimate from it, I was wondering how someone trying to decide when to cross could come to some conclusion about the time it will take given the number of cars.

And it is complicated because of the big fanning out differences between entering from the west or the east. Therefore you would need a different conversion factor for each one.

I was thinking that there might be some people reading this thread that have there own methods/formulas for making use of the number of cars information and they would post what they think.

I guessed that on the average, a car is cleared to cross every 30 seconds in each lane. From there you need to factor in how many lanes are available from the east and how many from the west. From there you need to consider the fanning out of lanes as you get close to the border.

I know it's complicated. But is it too complicated?

Again, you're correct, the number of cars is all you can provide and doing so is a good thing. I did not mean to belittle that in any way.

I just like playing with numbers and figuring things out.


VIVA SENTRI! :saint:

fdt - 8-20-2007 at 03:03 PM

3PM