BajaNomad

Calexico East Ready Lane

jadams - 9-6-2011 at 03:45 PM

A ready lane has opened at the Calexico East crossing, has anyone used it yet? Does it make it faster to cross back to the states?

CortezBlue - 9-6-2011 at 06:29 PM

I saw it yesterday when I crossed SENTRI at about 2pm, however, it appears to me that you have to wait in the regular line and then move over to the far left to enter the easy lane.

BajaWarrior - 9-6-2011 at 07:43 PM

Just what CortezBlue says. You have to be far left in order to access it and we paced a truck similar to ours in a regular lane and his lane and others were just as fast. We came back yesterday afternoon with an hour and a half wait.

viabaja - 9-12-2011 at 08:40 AM

I believe you can access it right on the main road? There is a sign that says Sentri. You do not need to get into regular crossing lanes. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Bajajorge - 9-12-2011 at 09:03 AM

When you enter from the main blvd stay in the left lane. A ways into the traffic flow there is a separate lane for Sentri and I presume Ready passes. I am just going by what I see, not what I know,:?: as I can't get either pass due to having a cab over camper on my truck.:no::fire:

Bajajorge - 9-12-2011 at 09:05 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by viabaja
I believe you can access it right on the main road? There is a sign that says Sentri. You do not need to get into regular crossing lanes. Correct me if I'm wrong.



Now that you mention it, I think I have seen that Sentri sign.

viabaja - 9-12-2011 at 12:03 PM

I believe it's the lane one would take to see the Mexican border office (adjacent to exit lanes coming into Baja) and then you makes a right to tap into the dedicated Sentri lane before turning left into the declare/inspection area.

Desertbull - 9-12-2011 at 02:23 PM

10 minutes to cross there Sunday morning at 9:00 am...

nbacc - 9-12-2011 at 03:14 PM

10 min??? You gotta be kidding me. It has been a long time since it has taken us 10 min(always been between 1/2 hour if we are lucky or several hours if not) and we always cross on a Sunday morning early. I am glad to hear that. When several people have done the ready lane I would like to hear about it and how it compares with the regular wait. It sounds to me like you get to the left as if you are going into Sentri lane and then there is a place for ready lane?. When someone knows for sure and has done it please post. thanks. Nancy

CortezBlue - 9-12-2011 at 03:21 PM

So just for clarification the SENTRI lane is not the same lane as the Easy Lane.
The easy lane is just to the right of the SENTRI lane, however, it appears that you have to stay in the regular lanes until just before you break into multiple lanes. So if you have a 45 minute wait from the entrance it will probably take a half hour to get to the Easy Lane

BajaWarrior - 9-12-2011 at 05:01 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by CortezBlue
So just for clarification the SENTRI lane is not the same lane as the Easy Lane.
The easy lane is just to the right of the SENTRI lane, however, it appears that you have to stay in the regular lanes until just before you break into multiple lanes. So if you have a 45 minute wait from the entrance it will probably take a half hour to get to the Easy Lane


Ditto that, we were in it last weekend. Not much shorter though on a busy day. Once we entered it (approximately 30 cars) we stayed neck and neck with a vehicle similar to ours.

nbacc - 9-12-2011 at 08:19 PM

So do you think it is worth getting the Ready Lane pass if you already have a passport? Nancy

BajaWarrior - 9-12-2011 at 08:21 PM

No pass is needed. Ready lane is having the proper documents ready is all. Passport or Border Crossing Card. No Birth Certificates/I.D.

nbacc - 9-12-2011 at 10:08 PM

so, you don't have to have 'the ready card" to go in that lane as long as you have all your papers in order..........a passport.? Nancy

BajaWarrior - 9-13-2011 at 04:21 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by nbacc
so, you don't have to have 'the ready card" to go in that lane as long as you have all your papers in order..........a passport.? Nancy


Correct, no "ready card". Just "be ready".

nbacc - 9-13-2011 at 06:50 AM

thanks for the info......you just saved me a bit of money. Nancy

nbacc - 9-13-2011 at 06:56 AM

Oh.one more question about ready lane that someone might know. We have all the paper work ready each time including the dog papers in our hand (passports for us and rabies shot record for dog...which they have never looked at). Is the ready lane for people and their passports and/or card or will it be an issue with the dog? It might be a silly question but I don't see anything on the site about that. Thanks in advance. Nancy

SFandH - 9-13-2011 at 06:57 AM

I don't think all WHTI compliant documents work in the ready lane. Specifically non-RFID US passport books and non-RFID green cards.

Ready Lane document requirements:

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/1211/~/ready-la...

[Edited on 9-13-2011 by SFandH]

CortezBlue - 9-13-2011 at 07:17 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by BajaWarrior
No pass is needed. Ready lane is having the proper documents ready is all. Passport or Border Crossing Card. No Birth Certificates/I.D.


I respectfully disagree

From what I was told when I was notified by the Govt, due to my sentry card, it is for trusted travelers, I.e., senntri, nexus and passport cards, but not passports other wise it would be just another lane

SFandH - 9-13-2011 at 07:28 AM

The documents need to be RFID enabled. That's the key.

bonanza bucko - 9-13-2011 at 08:13 AM

OK...from reading all these messages I still don't have a clear idea about how you enter the SENTRI lane from the main drag at the East Gate.

I've been told that you stay left when everyone else turns right into the border gates and then you explain to the cop who wants to ticket you for that turn that you have a SENTRI pass and then you enter the SAME traffic as the "Easy" lane until you are over the bridge which obviates having a SENTRI pass in the first place because the bridge is where all the time is usually spent.

In other words...it looks to me as though having a SENTRI pass at the east gate doesn't do much good. ????
BB:?:

nbacc - 9-13-2011 at 12:02 PM

ok............i AM GOING TO GET IT! I will let everyone know when i go and return. sometime in Oct. Maybe we will know before then but by then myy paperwork will have been sent off. thank you everyone for trying to answer my questions. Nancy

CortezBlue - 9-13-2011 at 02:18 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by bonanza bucko
OK...from reading all these messages I still don't have a clear idea about how you enter the SENTRI lane from the main drag at the East Gate.

I've been told that you stay left when everyone else turns right into the border gates and then you explain to the cop who wants to ticket you for that turn that you have a SENTRI pass and then you enter the SAME traffic as the "Easy" lane until you are over the bridge which obviates having a SENTRI pass in the first place because the bridge is where all the time is usually spent.

In other words...it looks to me as though having a SENTRI pass at the east gate doesn't do much good. ????
BB:?:


Ok, when you enter the general area to turn into the crossing lanes, there is one lane to the far left that is SENTRI, but SENTRI only. This is NOT the Easy Ready lane.

Next to the far left lane there are about 2 or 3 lanes that you would enter and stay left. After you travel for several hundred yards or maybe a mile, on the left a lane will open up that has a very small sign that states it is for Ready Lane.

BajaWarrior - 9-13-2011 at 03:17 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by SFandH
The documents need to be RFID enabled. That's the key.


Just so you know our experience in the "ready lane" 2 of the 4 passports we presented were not RFID enabled and the agent didn't say anything about it.

Wish I had taken a photo of the sign which directed us to use the lane with Passports only. Of course the original question was about Mexicali East crossing which I am reporting on that crossing the other borders could be different.

[Edited on 9-14-2011 by BajaWarrior]

sancho - 9-13-2011 at 03:35 PM

I was under the impression that the Ready Lanes,
at least at San Ysidro and Otay, were STRICTLY for
holders of the PASSCARDS, and that PASSPORTS
even with the RFDI chip were not part of the
program? Looked up this,
http://www.sandiegored.com/noticias/10559/U-S-to-open-ready-...
It mentions Pasports as being accepted then later contradicts
itself saying passcards?

[Edited on 9-13-2011 by sancho]

CortezBlue - 9-13-2011 at 07:21 PM

I guess my question is, if they will take a passport, then there is no difference then any other lane. Yea, yea, I know, someone is going to say, yea, but there are folks that have a drivers lic and birth certificate, but I can't imagine that would be that many folks.

nbacc - 9-13-2011 at 08:53 PM

I read all the info on any site that explained the Ready pass. They have a little video to show you how to use it. You are supposed to hold your card up to the window. We will hear more as time goes by as to how this thing is working. My hope is that it does what it is meant to do and speed up getting back across the border. Nancy