OTAY MESA – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced Friday that the Ready Lane program would begin on Feb. 23 for pedestrians at the port
of entry here.
The program, already available to motorists, targets travelers who have U.S. travel documents enabled with RFID technology.
The documents include the U.S. passport card, the SENTRI card, the border-crossing card issued after 2008 and the newer U.S. residency card (the
so-called “green card”).
The Ready Lane program at Otay Mesa would operate from 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday,
according to a CBP announcement.
“This pilot program will allow us to test the best way to reduce the wait times for travelers who cross on foot,” said Chris Maston, the director for
the San Diego and Otay ports of entry.
“At CBP, we’re committed to keep looking for ways to make our border more secure and efficient,” he added.
Starting Sunday, CBP will begin installing three kiosks in the pedestrian area that will be used in the Ready Lane program. This construction will be
done at night to avoid affecting daytime traffic.
The travelers who have the appropriate documents can access the Ready Lane area by a special lane that will be located to the left of the regular
lane.
Their documents will be scanned at the kiosks and the information transmitted to the inspectors, who will be able to identify the border crossers
before they arrive at the booths. This process shaves seconds or longer in the process of reviewing each traveler, savings which add up.
A similar pilot program for pedestrians is being tested at the border crossing in El Paso. CBP will evaluate the results from both locations to
determine if the program should be rolled out nationwide.
The Ready Lane program used by vehicles at the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa crossings has reduced wait times between 20 to 25 percent, according to CBP.
The average wait time for pedestrians at Otay Mesa is between 45 to 60 minutes.
Alexandra Mendoza / SanDiegoRed.comUdo - 2-4-2012 at 09:14 AM
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Our first time of use, the wait was 4 hours!
Standard lanes were 2 hours.
Thanks for passing this on, bajaguy!
Quote:
Originally posted by bajaguy
The average wait time for pedestrians at Otay Mesa is between 45 to 60 minutes.
