BajaNomad

Crossing time improves (on line radio report)

Whale-ista - 9-25-2014 at 08:34 PM

From KPBS Zfm in San Diego.

By Katie Schoolov
Above: For about a week now, vehicles crossing into the U.S. at the San Ysidro border have witnessed a drastic change: the wait to be processed by U.S. border officials can be measured in minutes, instead of hours. KPBS Fronteras reporter Jill Replogle says that the reduced border wait is changing lives and could, in fact, change the local economy.

Tijuana — a city just 20 miles from San Diego — just got a couple of hours closer.

“I can’t believe it,” Efren Espinoza said, as he approached the San Ysidro Port of Entry in a white Ford pickup with tropical-themed seat covers. Espinoza commutes from Mexico every day to his construction job in the U.S. He said he often waits two to three hours to cross the border.

On a recent weekday morning, it took him less than 10 minutes to cross.

“It’s incredible,” he said. “It’s good for everybody, especially for us that commute every day.”

The time spent sitting on the Tijuana side of the San Ysidro border in hot cars, for hours on end, with exhaust pouring in the window and no bathroom in site could be yesterday’s nightmare. After several years of construction and lane closures, U.S. border authorities last week opened all existing lanes to northbound traffic — 25 lanes, most of them able to process two cars at a time.

“We have seen a significant reduction in the wait times here at San Ysidro Port of Entry,” port director Sidney Aki said.

The first phase of an ambitious port expansion project is nearly complete, Aki said. The number of inspection booths has doubled and technology has been upgraded to allow more efficient processing of travelers.

Aki, like the business communities on both sides of the border, emphasized the economic benefit of processing more travelers through the border faster. He sited a travel industry statistic, which estimates that every 33 visitors who enter the U.S. create one U.S. job.

“That is huge,” Aki said, “especially when you think of the amount and volume of individuals actually crossing per day.”

An average of 50,000 vehicles and 25,000 pedestrians cross into the U.S. through the San Ysidro Port of Entry each day.

“Do the multiplication," Aki said. "That’s a lot of jobs, a lot of commerce building here in our area.”

Longtime border residents remember the days when the U.S.-Mexico border was usually just a minor inconvenience. San Diegans would travel south to Puerto Nuevo to eat lobster on weekends. Tijuanenses would come north for a quick shopping trip to Mission Valley. But that all changed after terrorists took down the Twin Towers.

Security became the top border priority and the lines to cross into the U.S. got longer and longer.

A 2005 study from the San Diego Association of Governments found that more than 3 million potential working hours were spent waiting in line at the border. And San Diego was losing out on some $2 billion annually, in part because Mexicans — and Americans living in Mexico — who might have wanted to take more trips across the border weren’t doing so because of the long lines.

Now, the border as minor, instead of major, inconvenience might be back.

“It’s a game changer for our region,” said Paola Ávila, who heads the Mexico Business Center at the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Ávila admits that Baja California still has an image problem because of heightened violence there in years past. But at least now “you can also go and come back within a normal, average amount of time that it would take you to go, say, to North County for dinner,” she said.

By 9 a.m., the morning sun has begun to heat up the mostly empty expanse of asphalt just south of the San Ysidro inspection stations manned by agents from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Javier Martinez donned a wide-brimmed sombrero with a hole in the front and set off to hawk crispy wheels of sweet, fried buñuelos to drivers queuing up to cross into the U.S.

“Try them! I want to sell!” he sings out in Spanish, with a voice fit for a mariachi band.

Vendors like Martinez — and there are hundreds of them here — aren’t nearly as happy as commuters about the improvements at San Ysidro.

“It’s tough right now,” Martinez said. “People don’t get hungry or thirsty when the lines are so short.”

Martinez said he had altered his business to try and adapt. He used to sell tejuino, a fermented corn drink that was prepared on the spot.

Now the cars are moving too fast, he said, so he switched to pre-made treats.

But some potential customers might find themselves with so much extra time that they’re willing to enjoy a leisurely meal at the border before they cross.

Robert Saenz, who works at a jewelry store just north of the border, pulled up behind a burrito cart about 50 yards from the U.S. inspection booths and ordered his favorite, chicharrón.

“I used to be in line here like three, almost three and a half hours,” Saenz said. “So right now I’m so happy. I can enjoy my burrito. I can have it more relaxed.”

Saenz is also excited about the gas money he’s going to save not idling in line, and the stress he’s going to avoid. But he’s not ready to change up his habit of leaving for work three hours ahead of time.

“I don’t want to trust,” he said. “Because you don’t know what happens the next day. I don’t want to have problems in my work.”

Just in case the short line trend doesn’t hold.

DENNIS - 9-26-2014 at 04:48 AM

Heard from a lady who walks across to work in Chula Vista, and hears all the foot-traffic scuttlebutt. She says, next week [+-] Otay will be making some sort of adjustments and a lot of their traffic will be herded back over to SY.
It's like watching the tide change in the bay.

Genecag - 9-26-2014 at 08:11 AM

I cross daily and have noticed a significant reduction over the past week. I have seen 10 'Ready' lanes open :) and 8 'Sentri' lanes to move traffic!

Ateo - 9-26-2014 at 08:26 AM

Did my San Ysidro work route yesterday and talked with numerous people who cross each morning for work. All said the times were way down. 8 ready lanes. Sentri virtually empty. Good news for now.

tjsue - 9-26-2014 at 09:07 AM

It's too soon. As soon as everyone finds out that the wait time has decreased, they'll all be going through SY, and it'll be back to the way it was.

WhackAMolE - 10-1-2014 at 01:32 PM

Here is my official field report at San Ysidro going north this morning, Wed 10/01. I got on the Ready lane and drove freely all the way up to the big glass building on the left. That's already a humongous win. I got to the end of the line at 10:13am and cleared customs at 10:25am. Twelve minutes. I have gone to heaven for sure! This is just wonderful.

The vendors have been decimated. No more burritos, no churros, no seguros, no statues of Jesus on the cross and no more NFL jerseys and caps. Nada. A few collectors for charity, is that the Cruz Roja? I never know who they are. But that was it. The vendors are gone except for a handful.

I hope this persists forever.

woody with a view - 10-1-2014 at 02:26 PM

"I hope this persists forever."

WORD!!!

Bajaboy - 10-1-2014 at 03:43 PM

14 minutes at SY today at 11:30am....couldn't believe it.

sancho - 10-1-2014 at 03:56 PM

Got me curious, just checked CBP site, as of 4 pm today, Wed.,
15 min. SY in the regular Passenger vehicle lane, have to check this Sat. at 2
pm. to see the true test as to times, looks good though

[Edited on 10-1-2014 by sancho]

DaliDali - 10-1-2014 at 07:50 PM

Are vehicles with enclosed cargo trailers allowed in the ready lanes?

sancho - 10-2-2014 at 01:11 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by DaliDali
Are vehicles with enclosed cargo trailers allowed in the ready lanes?





Was a guy here a while back, towing a Travel Trailer or a
5th wheel, was given a Fast Pass in Ensenada, one of those Tourist
perks to get back to the US in the fast Pass Lane, which MAY be
similar in the eyes of CBP to the Ready Lane. He was told by
CBP he could not tow in the Fast Pass Lane, not exactly the
answer to your question, but may be the same

dasubergeek - 10-2-2014 at 02:58 PM

He can't tow in the "fast pass lane" (that's the medical lane) because there simply isn't clearance to make it through the barrier and along the curve. It's just a bunch of jersey barriers and a hastily constructed hut from the bridge into Col. Federal. It's not SENTRI.

woody with a view - 10-2-2014 at 03:11 PM

I've towed my boat thru ready lane, although not an enclosed trailer.

i'll say NO just to keep one more vehicle in the regular lanes!!!!:lol:

liknbaja127 - 10-2-2014 at 08:09 PM

We crossed at Otay Monday at 11:30, am. Towing a trailer, 23 mins ready lane
no secondary! It seems to be getting better.

DaliDali - 10-3-2014 at 06:45 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by dasubergeek
He can't tow in the "fast pass lane" (that's the medical lane) because there simply isn't clearance to make it through the barrier and along the curve. It's just a bunch of jersey barriers and a hastily constructed hut from the bridge into Col. Federal. It's not SENTRI.


Sorry I should have mentioned that I use Otay, and not the Tijuana crossing.

I have a passport card with the RFID chip embedded and would like to avoid the regular lineup lanes.
Towing a 10' enclosed cargo trailer.

bajalearner - 10-3-2014 at 08:44 AM

It's fantastic but I too wonder if it will last and I hope it will be this way for decades. The drawback is that I don't want a flood of Gringos coming intent on changing Baja to be more like the US.

I have towed my 16' enclosed trailer through the ready lane and the "all other traffic" lanes (san Ysidro and Otay) and I was sent to secondary where they did a look through of the trailer. I was expecting that because it's enclosed and would take several minutes for the officer to look at the inside. I didn't have much stuff inside, just tools and "stuff" because I use it as my garage storage place.

aguachico - 10-3-2014 at 08:59 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by bajalearner
The drawback is that I don't want a flood of Gringos coming intent on changing Baja to be more like the US.
:rolleyes:


The quality of life for local Tijuanes that cross everyday has changed. Imagine getting back 4 hours of your life everyday. 4 hours everyday.
Lets hope the stress level will be reduced.