BajaNomad

Border wait times

SFandH - 9-23-2015 at 04:16 PM

As of now, 4:15 PM this website is saying the wait time at San Ysidro is 10 minutes but a user has reported 1 hour 20 minutes.

http://traffic.calit2.net/border/border-wait-times.php?type=...

??????

Is there any website that has accurate real time data?

SFandH - 9-23-2015 at 04:18 PM

Just looked again and the user reported 1 hour 20 minutes disappeared.

double ??????

The question remains:

Is there any website that has accurate real time data?

[Edited on 9-23-2015 by SFandH]

DENNIS - 9-23-2015 at 05:05 PM



Most of them get their numbers from CBP who is notoriously innaccurate. They just don't care to share reality with the bad guys they're looking for. Ain't their job anyway.

Tioloco - 9-23-2015 at 07:24 PM

I have yet to see any of them even close to accurate. Nor do the boots on the ground give a care how long you wait.

Whale-ista - 9-23-2015 at 07:36 PM

Maybe it's time for a twitter or Facebook hashtag "#borderwait" or "#borderwaitTecate" or some such term that people can check on their mobile gizmos as they head north.

Those waiting in line could update their status with #borderwaitTJ" and give a real, on the ground/in the line time estimate for others to check.

Tioloco - 9-23-2015 at 07:47 PM

Whale-ista that is a really good idea

Whale-ista - 9-23-2015 at 08:15 PM

Thanks Tio.

i tried the "#borderwait" tag on a Facebook, and it linked to the site everyone hates
(http://bwt.cbp.gov/?com=0&pas=1&ped=1&plist=2506...)

Maybe if people customize for Tecate, Otay and Tijuana they can make this work.

Whale-ista - 9-23-2015 at 08:18 PM

Just tried twitter, came up with this: "@updatesandiego: Crossing the border into San Diego? #sandiego #borderwait #lalinea #sanysidro #otaymesa #traffic http://t.co/5lYsffpz07"

Same result: CBP website.

Whale-ista - 9-24-2015 at 12:03 PM

OK- maybe try this.
It's a Facebook page, closed group: "Como esta la linea Tijuana?"

People are updating frequently as they wait in line- their information seems accurate.

For those who don't like/trust/use Facebook, maybe Twitter offers something similar?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/547917278583407/?pnref=story

[Edited on 9-24-2015 by Whale-ista]

SFandH - 9-24-2015 at 12:09 PM

Thanks. I just joined the group and my membership is pending.

But it's a closed group. Does that mean it doesn't accept new members?

Plus I don't see the updates.

I'm new to facebook so I'm not sure what's happening.

SFandH - 9-24-2015 at 12:13 PM

I got it. I need to wait for admin approval.

"When you create a Facebook group you can make it Open, Closed or Secret. In an open group anyone can join and everything is viewable by everyone online, including search engines. In a closed group, admins must approve members and only group members can see posted content. Secret groups are, of course, secret."
---------------------------------------------

This could be exactly what I was looking for. Thanks

BornFisher - 9-24-2015 at 01:05 PM

I always use the cams like this one-----

http://www.bordertraffic.com/California-Baja/Otay-Mesa-Tijua...

or

http://www.bordertraffic.com/California-Baja/San-Ysidro-Tiju...

SFandH - 9-24-2015 at 01:08 PM

Group membership just approved. Looks good, minute old cellphone photos of the line, text updates, some unimportant chatter, but another data source, probably the one I'll go to first.

Good thing Facebook has a translate feature. All the posts are in Spanish. I think the vast majority of group members are TJ folks.

MexicoTed - 9-24-2015 at 03:48 PM

Here's a list of all of the border wait time sites I could find: http://www.mexonline.com/border-traffic.htm. By the way, saw something interesting the other day. I was crossing at Tecate and the wait was almost 50 minutes. As we finally came down the hill to the bottom just before the crossing, a car came driving down the parallel side road, guy gets out walks over to car in line (probably 20 cars back from border) and gets in while the guy driving the car that was in line gets out and walks to the car on the side road. Must be good, old capitalism at work.

DENNIS - 9-24-2015 at 03:53 PM




SENTRI....get it.

Whale-ista - 9-24-2015 at 09:40 PM

Has Tecate added ReadiLanes yet?

bajasusan/a - 9-25-2015 at 12:04 AM

Quote: Originally posted by DENNIS  



SENTRI....get it.


Not easy or automatic. I now know 4 people -- all quite normal, retired, and living in the Baja -- who have been denied. no reason given.

Tioloco - 9-25-2015 at 05:41 PM

Dennis-
Knowing border wait times is helpful to everyone. I have Sentri but have to use the regular line when towing anything or when I have too much "stuff" from a trip. I was sternly warned by Sentri for having too much "stuff" already- whatever that means?

BornFisher - 9-25-2015 at 09:02 PM

Talked to someone tonight who waited 2 hours to get into Mexico! I checked a cam on the border looking north and don`t doubt his claim was accurate.
Seems reasonable for Baja Nomads to add a border forum sometime soon.

Pescador - 9-26-2015 at 10:05 AM

Going north yesterday morning (Friday 26) was a two hour delay and we hit the border at 6:00 am Coming south, 805 locked up at 163 and was a crawl all the way to the border. 805 was a crawl as well as 5 so it took two hours to get south. Once on the toll road, it was easy sailing. Guess everyone was headed to the bars in Tijuana.

Interesting news about wait times

gpm - 9-28-2015 at 07:30 PM

I am friends with some of the people at BorderTraffic.com and here is some interesting news.

1. The typical sole source of all the wait time estimates is CBP and as we all know delivering accurate wait time estimates is not their focus. Also since they can usually not see the end of the line they are guessing.

2. There are a couple radio stations that send people to the border to count cars in the mornings. Not sure if they do that any more.

3. BorderTraffic.com has not announced it yet but the wait times they post on the San Ysidro crossing for the past year have been generated by some whiz bang new video analytic technology that give super accurate wait times and is updated every 15 minutes. I checked their times myself and they are way more accurate than CBP. They said they are planning to roll it out to Otay also. They haven't announced it yet because it was a beta test version and they wanted to work out the bugs. But supposedly they are going to announce it pretty soon.

AWESOME!

elgatoloco - 9-29-2015 at 07:25 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Tioloco  
Dennis-
Knowing border wait times is helpful to everyone. I have Sentri but have to use the regular line when towing anything or when I have too much "stuff" from a trip. I was sternly warned by Sentri for having too much "stuff" already- whatever that means?


We use Ready Lane when we have our camper on the truck.