BajaNomad

Expect shorter waits at San Ysidro this weekend

BajaNews - 4-5-2013 at 12:22 PM

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/apr/04/expect-shorter-wa...

By Sandra Dibble
APRIL 4, 2013

SAN YSIDRO — All booths and lanes at the San Ysidro port of entry will be staffed from noon Friday until 8 a.m. Monday — and travelers can expect “significantly decreased” wait times, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The agency announced Thursday that inspectors will be posted continuously at all 23 vehicle lanes and stacked booths at the port of entry as the agency takes advantage of a pause in construction at the port.

This marks the third such period in less than a year that the agency has fully staffed the port during a construction pause.

Similar pauses in July and November resulted in a significant reduction of wait times, said Pete Flores, CBP’s director of field operations for San Diego.

“Although having these additional inspection booths is not a perfect comparison to what we can expect when construction is completed, it is an opportunity to assess our capabilities and give a benefit to the traveling public today.”

The government in the past has cited a lack of funding to keep all lanes open.

woody with a view - 4-5-2013 at 12:26 PM

April Fools Day was earlier this week....

DENNIS - 4-5-2013 at 12:29 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by BajaNews

By Sandra Dibble
APRIL 4, 2013



If Ms. Dibble says so, it's gotta be true. Maybe she'll follow up with a first hand report. :biggrin:

sancho - 4-5-2013 at 12:33 PM

Heard of some folks coming back last Tues.,
the previous nt they were told if they had
dinner at a particular Rosarito Beach Rest, they could get
a Fast Pass, after dinner, Lo Siento, ran out
of Fast Pass's, looks like ask first

DENNIS - 4-5-2013 at 12:37 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by sancho
Heard of some folks coming back last Tues.,
the previous nt they were told if they had
dinner at a particular Rosarito Beach Rest, they could get
a Fast Pass, after dinner, Lo Siento, ran out
of Fast Pass's, looks like ask first



You have to know these guys are selling the passes. :light:

I wonder how, or if, the passes are regulated?

BajaGeoff - 4-5-2013 at 01:24 PM

My understanding is that no restaurants have the Fast Pass at the moment because a restaurant allegedly sold one for $50. They made all the participating restaurants give them up after that incident.

Only the participating hotels still have them....but that list changes like the weather. Good luck!

Curt63 - 4-5-2013 at 05:39 PM

Yep 51 minutes at SY this afternoon at about 3:30. Our friends crossing at Tecate had a much longer wait

DENNIS - 4-5-2013 at 05:46 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Curt63
Yep 51 minutes at SY this afternoon at about 3:30. Our friends crossing at Tecate had a much longer wait


For Friday PM, that is amazing.

mirko - 4-5-2013 at 06:15 PM

It took us close to three hours at SY on Wednesday, 4-3. The problem was not the US side but rather getting to the US lanes from Mexico. There is ZERO signage as to how to get to the Ready Lanes coming from Mexico. We ended up in the regular lanes, although we all had gone through great lengths to get our passport cards. The only way to know how to get to the ready lanes from the Mexican side was to just know our way there. AGAIN...NO SIGNS.

It's a shame, really. We boys had a terrific time in San Quintin for five days and would have liked to go back with our wives, but there is no way they would put up with the three hour wait and no bathrooms. The 8 peso bathrooms we used below the electronic billboard were disgusting at best. Mexico (Tijuana) is really losing out by not providing adequate signs at a time when they sorely need the tourist $$$ which had gone away.

Next time, it will be Otay for us, just for the signeage.

I am going to write some letters to the Mexican consulate and other authorities letting them know of our dissapointment, as I speak/write fluent Spanish. I'll probably have to email them, as I am told mail does not work in Mexico. What a mess!

Still loving Baja!

Ateo - 4-5-2013 at 07:19 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Curt63
Yep 51 minutes at SY this afternoon at about 3:30. Our friends crossing at Tecate had a much longer wait


Curt, did they have all lanes open like the article said?

If so I may head down for a taco mañana.

DENNIS - 4-5-2013 at 07:23 PM

If this shorter time at SY becomes a trend, it will also take some of the pressure off the other gates.
We can hope.

Ateo - 4-5-2013 at 07:41 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by mirko
It took us close to three hours at SY on Wednesday, 4-3. The problem was not the US side but rather getting to the US lanes from Mexico. There is ZERO signage as to how to get to the Ready Lanes coming from Mexico. We ended up in the regular lanes, although we all had gone through great lengths to get our passport cards. The only way to know how to get to the ready lanes from the Mexican side was to just know our way there. AGAIN...NO SIGNS.

It's a shame, really. We boys had a terrific time in San Quintin for five days and would have liked to go back with our wives, but there is no way they would put up with the three hour wait and no bathrooms. The 8 peso bathrooms we used below the electronic billboard were disgusting at best. Mexico (Tijuana) is really losing out by not providing adequate signs at a time when they sorely need the tourist $$$ which had gone away.

Next time, it will be Otay for us, just for the signeage.

I am going to write some letters to the Mexican consulate and other authorities letting them know of our dissapointment, as I speak/write fluent Spanish. I'll probably have to email them, as I am told mail does not work in Mexico. What a mess!

Still loving Baja!


I hear ya!!!!

You would think that in the age we live in that our governments could get this border crossing thing figured out. It's in our best interests. Signs are cheap. How about a few more of them??

If Steve Jobs was in charge of the border, you wouldn't even know you were crossing.

How about signs, free wifi, and good food?

But back to my first statement, we are a high technology society, there is no excuse for these types of delays. I bet the mayor of TJ and SD can communicate for free via Twitter or their iPhones.

But the real reason the border sucks? No money in fixing it up?

And that's why I'm going Sentri.

DENNIS - 4-5-2013 at 08:09 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by mirko
I am going to write some letters to the Mexican consulate and other authorities letting them know of our dissapointment, as I speak/write fluent Spanish. I'll probably have to email them, as I am told mail does not work in Mexico. What a mess!

Still loving Baja!


Good luck with that letter writing campaigne, but maybe you should send them to North Korea instead. You'll stand a better chance of having them read.
The Mexican Consulate isn't interested in dirty bathrooms....or signs....or anything else that has you upset. Any adjustments will have to be yours.

DaliDali - 4-5-2013 at 08:16 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by BajaNews

The government in the past has cited a lack of funding to keep all lanes open.


And yet the US Government continues to fund robot squirrels, mating habits of c-ckroaches and other shameful waste.
Yeah buddy!!!

DENNIS - 4-5-2013 at 08:24 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by DaliDali

And yet the US Government continues to fund robot squirrels, mating habits of c-ckroaches and other shameful waste.
Yeah buddy!!!



We're still waiting for the promised entrance road into the new Chaparral crossing.
I'm not holding my breath.

woody with a view - 4-6-2013 at 08:04 AM

yeah, a 90 degree turn at the end of an international freeway where 6 lanes squeezt to 3? only in Mexico.....

Bruce R Leech - 4-6-2013 at 09:27 AM

this just proves the point that the normal daily mess is planed buy the U.S. gov.

Pacifico - 4-6-2013 at 09:55 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Ateo
Quote:
Originally posted by Curt63
Yep 51 minutes at SY this afternoon at about 3:30. Our friends crossing at Tecate had a much longer wait


Curt, did they have all lanes open like the article said?

If so I may head down for a taco mañana.


There were 11 lanes open.....

mirko - 4-6-2013 at 09:58 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Ateo
Quote:
Originally posted by mirko
It took us close to three hours at SY on Wednesday, 4-3. The problem was not the US side but rather getting to the US lanes from Mexico. There is ZERO signage as to how to get to the Ready Lanes coming from Mexico. We ended up in the regular lanes, although we all had gone through great lengths to get our passport cards. The only way to know how to get to the ready lanes from the Mexican side was to just know our way there. AGAIN...NO SIGNS.

It's a shame, really. We boys had a terrific time in San Quintin for five days and would have liked to go back with our wives, but there is no way they would put up with the three hour wait and no bathrooms. The 8 peso bathrooms we used below the electronic billboard were disgusting at best. Mexico (Tijuana) is really losing out by not providing adequate signs at a time when they sorely need the tourist $$$ which had gone away.

Next time, it will be Otay for us, just for the signeage.

I am going to write some letters to the Mexican consulate and other authorities letting them know of our dissapointment, as I speak/write fluent Spanish. I'll probably have to email them, as I am told mail does not work in Mexico. What a mess!

Still loving Baja!


I hear ya!!!!

You would think that in the age we live in that our governments could get this border crossing thing figured out. It's in our best interests. Signs are cheap. How about a few more of them??

If Steve Jobs was in charge of the border, you wouldn't even know you were crossing.

How about signs, free wifi, and good food?

But back to my first statement, we are a high technology society, there is no excuse for these types of delays. I bet the mayor of TJ and SD can communicate for free via Twitter or their iPhones.

But the real reason the border sucks? No money in fixing it up?

And that's why I'm going Sentri.


I'm not sure Sentri would help. the problem we had was finding the ready/sentri lanes to begin with, on the Mexican side.

sancho - 4-6-2013 at 10:31 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by DENNIS
You have to know these guys are selling the passes






A guy posted last month about getting and using a fast
pass, aquired at Estero Beach after spending the nt.,
sounds totally legitimate,
I thought the fast pass was a bit of a thing in the past,
but this post gives precise directions to the fast pass
lane crossing at SY, sounds as if the program is back, as
to selling the pass, regulating them?http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=66095#pid800056

BajaGeoff - 4-8-2013 at 09:20 AM

I am waiting on my SENTRI renewal card and had to use the regular lanes yesterday to cross north at San Ysidro. I got to the border at 6:30 and was across in 50 minutes! All lanes had the double stacked staffing and it was flowing really good.

Expect shorter waits at San Ysidro this weekend

durrelllrobert - 4-8-2013 at 11:52 AM

You can EXPECT it but you will have to ACCEPT it for what it is.

DENNIS - 4-8-2013 at 12:58 PM

Well....maybe there is something to all this. Since first mentioned here, I've noticed [radio reports] shorter wait times at hours when one would expect heavy congestion, such as this AM, 5:30, they were reporting one hour, 30 min, when normally it would have been at least an hour longer....Monday AM and all.

We can hope. Just don't rely on it quite yet.

Sunman - 4-8-2013 at 03:48 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by BajaGeoff
I am waiting on my SENTRI renewal card and had to use the regular lanes yesterday to cross north at San Ysidro. I got to the border at 6:30 and was across in 50 minutes! All lanes had the double stacked staffing and it was flowing really good.


Wow, lucky you. We spent THREE AND ONE HALF #%*$!ng hours at Otay yesterday (1230-1600), I was peeED. Longest wait of my life. Absolutely no reason for that crap.

DENNIS - 4-8-2013 at 04:40 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Sunman

Wow, lucky you. We spent THREE AND ONE HALF #%*$!ng hours at Otay yesterday (1230-1600), I was peeED. Longest wait of my life. Absolutely no reason for that crap.



OUCH....That hurts. The original post was about San Ysidro, but I assumed they were practicing efficiency at all the gates.
Obviously not.

BajaGeoff - 4-8-2013 at 04:44 PM

Oh wow Sunman....that is brutal. At 6PM I called the San Ysidro border wait hotline and it said the wait was 90 minutes. I expected 2+ hours and was shocked when it was 50 minutes. Apparently the double stacked staffing is going to be a big help.

The San Ysidro border wait hotline number is 619-690-8999 and they usually update it every few hours.

BornFisher - 4-8-2013 at 04:59 PM

I monitored SY last weekend to see what was up. They had 22 lanes open, 6 more than usual. Wait time was sometimes 10 minutes in the ready lane. Also was checking the new app (border wait) and user wait reports were shorter than times posted by the official website.
When I crossed Tecate on Friday, the official time was 30 minutes, but the real time was 60 minutes. Once I crossed, I found att reception and reported my time on the app.. I encourage everyone who can to get the app. and send in reports!!