BajaNomad

Websites for border crossing wait times?

Howard - 9-15-2017 at 09:34 AM

I still don't have my Global/Sentri pass and will be crossing Northbound more than usual for me. I like to use Tecate but it's starting to get a little busier than before.

I know there are some web sites out there that allegedly give accurate wait times. Before leaving the Punta Banda area I could check the web site and decide when I should leave and what exit point I should use.

As an example here is one but I do not know how good it is.
https://bwt.cbp.gov/index.html?com=1&pas=1&ped=1&...

Which web sites do you find the most accurate?

[Edited on 9-15-2017 by Howard]

woody with a view - 9-15-2017 at 10:28 AM

Search the app store.

sancho - 9-15-2017 at 02:38 PM

The 2 I know have the same info, I believe the info comes from CBP, I add 45 min. to their time. To me logic tells one when
to cross. Depends if one has the liberty of time on their side, as in living in Baja. The typical tourist doesn't have that. I can't imagine
looking at one of the sites expecting the 3 hr. wait to all of a
sudden shrink to 30 min. Have heard Facebook has a TJ
crossing time page, never have searched it out though

Udo - 9-15-2017 at 06:23 PM

None of the sites (there are 3 of them) are very good or accurate.

Howard - 9-15-2017 at 06:35 PM

Are you guys telling me that the government is for real giving out fake news? :biggrin:

[Edited on 9-16-2017 by Howard]

SFandH - 9-15-2017 at 06:45 PM

There is almost zero traffic now at TJ crossings, 6:45 pm Friday

http://wp.1045radiolatina.com/garitas/ - close the short video that starts up.

I've seen numbers as high as 450.

This website is accurate, updated every 1/2 hour. No data after 8 PM nor on Sundays. It shows date and time of last update.

Figure 45 seconds per car, mas o menos, standard (izquierda) lanes, faster Ready lanes, faster faster Sentri lanes.

Same data on the radio every 10 minutes or so - 104.5 FM. Popular TJ radio station.


[Edited on 9-16-2017 by SFandH]

gsbotanico - 9-16-2017 at 08:05 AM

I find the Mexican websites tend to be more accurate, as the one linked by SFandH.

Google "trafico de garitas" or "garita tecate tiempo de espera. You can put in the name of the crossing, as in the second example, or use plural as in the first example to bring up more than one crossing. Some sites have tabs to toggle between different crossings. Be sure to pick a Spanish language link from the Google results.

You will need some basic Spanish to read the websites. Spend some time to check the various websites for their accuracy and are suitable to your needs.

I rely on my experience and have Sentri. No Sentri at Tecate. If I'm in the Tecate area, I don't find it worthwhile to drive to Otay from Tecate for a shorter line. If I'm further south, I go to San Ysidro or Otay and use Sentri. Both will always be faster with Sentri than Tecate at busy times.

Howard - 9-16-2017 at 08:18 AM

Thank you for all replies.

My car that I used exclusively in Baja had South Dakota plates and now that it is primarily used in California, I am switching back to California plates. I have a temporary permit now and the moment I get the real plates with the license plate #, I will apply for the Global Pass with that car. It's free to register a car when you apply but they charge around $45 for adding a car later.

Thanks again,
Howard

Alm - 9-16-2017 at 10:11 AM

Quote: Originally posted by SFandH  
There is almost zero traffic now at TJ crossings, 6:45 pm Friday

http://wp.1045radiolatina.com/garitas/ - close the short video that starts up.

Can't figure out how to read it. Right now Sat 9.30am:

Gates: 25
Left:?? 30
Ready lane: 30
Sentri: 10
Peds: 0.

"gates" = regular gates?
What is "left"?

Peds line 0? Have never seen zero people there, even in Sentri, not to mention usual 20-30 minutes for regular peds (20-30 or more).
Sentri peds line can be under 5 minutes, no line outside, but there are always some inside the building, especially lately in the temporary old Customs building.

They all get information from CBP - you approach the gate, they ask (sometimes) - How long did it take you, and you answer whatever it feels like because you rarely clock it precisely.

[Edited on 9-16-2017 by Alm]

SFandH - 9-16-2017 at 10:35 AM

http://wp.1045radiolatina.com/garitas/ - close the short video that starts up

"gates" is the total number of gates that are open, of any kind.

left (izquierda) means standard lanes; i.e., lanes that are not Ready nor Sentri lanes

the numbers are an estimate of the number of cars in each line

Ped lines inside the building can't be seen from the outside so those inside are not counted.

Radio Latina does not get data from CPB. I'm not sure how they get it but I would guess they have spotters, maybe webcams, at the border and make their estimates the same way each time.

To use this website effectively you need to have enough experience with it and also cross the border frequently so you can translate the numbers into wait times.

I figure 45 seconds per car for the standard lanes at San Ysidro. So if there are 100 cars per line, 100 * 3/4 of a minute = 75 minutes. Ready lanes should move twice as fast per car (CPB stated goal). I don't bother looking at Sentri because I don't have a pass now.

Many times there will be more cars in the Ready lanes so their effectiveness is diminished. Plus I approach from the west so it can take 10 or 15 minutes longer to get to the Ready lanes because, at San Ysidro, you need to approach from the east to get to them.



[Edited on 9-16-2017 by SFandH]

SFandH - 9-16-2017 at 10:52 AM

I've looked at both the gov websites and the Radio Latina website 1/2 hour before crossing the border many times and their data significantly differ after I convert the Radio Latina data from the number of cars to wait time. Radio Latina is more accurate. The gov data may be a couple of hours old and even if recent usually underestimates the wait.

Alm - 9-16-2017 at 12:30 PM

Quote: Originally posted by SFandH  
The gov data may be a couple of hours old and even if recent usually underestimates the wait.

This could explain why Radio Latina is more accurate. The govt is slow.

The guess about Mex spotters estimating the waiting time... They might. Spotter at the end of the line could note some car and time, communicate this info to another spotter near the gates, and then this second spotter would note the time of arrival, do some quick math and enter the result on his tablet and smartphone... technically possible :) ...

SFandH - 9-16-2017 at 12:43 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Alm  
Quote: Originally posted by SFandH  
The gov data may be a couple of hours old and even if recent usually underestimates the wait.

This could explain why Radio Latina is more accurate. The govt is slow.

The guess about Mex spotters estimating the waiting time... They might. Spotter at the end of the line could note some car and time, communicate this info to another spotter near the gates, and then this second spotter would note the time of arrival, do some quick math and enter the result on his tablet and smartphone... technically possible :) ...


Radio Latina doesn't give you times. It gives you the number of cars in line. That's pretty easy to determine knowing where the end of the line is. Set up some webcams on the surrounding buildings and look.

After a while you get a feel for how to translate the number of cars to wait times. My experience is 45 seconds per car, regular lanes.

Howard - 9-16-2017 at 01:10 PM

So...

I am on the 104.5 web site now and it shows
24 puertas
30 Izqueierdo
220 Ready lane
90 Sentri

So what you are saying if I read this correctly according to them there is 30 cars in the normal lanes and 90 in the Sentri and 220 cars in the ready lane?

SFandH - 9-16-2017 at 01:25 PM

Yup and that's a very unusual situation. I bet the regular lines are the quickest, like I said unusual. They might have closed down some of the lanes that they use for Ready and Sentri for some reason.

Things always change but they have been keeping the number of standard lanes constant and adjusting the number of Ready lanes depending upon how busy Sentri is. Many times in the early morning rush hour the Ready lanes will have twice as many cars as the regular lanes because of high Sentri volume and once Sentri slows down they'll give Ready more lanes and Sentri less and the situation quickly changes.

But generally, it is as it should be: Sentri FAST, Standard SLOW, and Ready somewhere in the middle.

[Edited on 9-16-2017 by SFandH]

Howard - 9-16-2017 at 01:26 PM

Thanks

SFandH - 9-16-2017 at 01:50 PM

Things just changed. Sentri is way down and Ready is up. They must have decreased Ready lanes and increased Sentri lanes. They can do that because of the way they have things laid out. They can't decrease the number of Standard lanes except in the wee hours because to take one away when there are cars in it and tell people to merge into the next lane would cause chaos.

[Edited on 9-16-2017 by SFandH]

AKgringo - 9-16-2017 at 02:03 PM

I don't use sentry for my infrequent crossings, but I imagine that an unexpected enforcement activity could jam things up in a hurry! Does it happen that way sometimes?

[Edited on 9-16-2017 by AKgringo]

SFandH - 9-16-2017 at 02:25 PM

One time I was 3 or so cars from the booth and they busted the folks at the booth. About a 20-minute delay. Several agents taking, inspecting the car, 3 people handcuffed and escorted away. I don't remember if they drove the car out or pushed it. It was years ago.

sancho - 9-16-2017 at 03:50 PM

Quote: Originally posted by SFandH  

Figure 45 seconds per car, mas o menos, standard (izquierda) la
[Edited on 9-16-2017 by SFandH]









Just now did a quick calculation using your 45 sec. per car for
the reg car lanes, compared it to the CBP crossing time site,
the radio site came in at 49.75 min. for the crossing time,
the CBP site has 50 min., so they agree, don't know exactly how that translates to real time accuracy. I too have
been asked walking back by CBP as how long it took

SFandH - 9-16-2017 at 04:02 PM

Quote: Originally posted by sancho  
Quote: Originally posted by SFandH  

Figure 45 seconds per car, mas o menos, standard (izquierda) la
[Edited on 9-16-2017 by SFandH]

Just now did a quick calculation using your 45 sec. per car for
the reg car lanes, compared it to the CBP crossing time site,
the radio site came in at 49.75 min. for the crossing time,
the CBP site has 50 min., so they agree, don't know exactly how that translates to real time accuracy. I too have
been asked walking back by CBP as how long it took


That's interesting info! Good to hear there can be an agreement in the two different methods to arrive at the same conclusion.

Another important factor is how long it takes you to get to the border after you check the data. Wait times can change pretty quickly.

I cross regularly and have found knowing how long it is going to take reduces the anxiety I feel in line, even if I'm forced to cross when the wait is long.

Alm - 9-16-2017 at 05:50 PM

Quote: Originally posted by sancho  

the radio site came in at 49.75 min. for the crossing time,
the CBP site has 50 min., so they agree, don't know exactly how that translates to real time accuracy. I too have
been asked walking back by CBP as how long it took

Sure they agree sometimes. A broken clock is right twice a day :)...
Asking a driver is the only direct measurement - though I'm skeptical as to the accuracy, very few people know exactly how long it took them.

Yes, they switch lanes when they have to. Saw this in Otay - there was a light traffic in Ready and Sentri, so they let people from Regular into the adjacent one or two Ready, where the concrete divider ends before the gates.

fandango - 9-16-2017 at 07:43 PM

I use an app on my iPhone and iPad called "border traffic".

It is for San ysidro and otay and shows the lines via multiple live cameras.

You can also check cameras showing the lines entering Mexico.

sancho - 9-17-2017 at 10:38 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Alm  

Asking a driver is the only direct measurement - though I'm skeptical as to the accuracy, very few people know exactly how long it took them.














I totally agree, these times are at best a ballpark figure,
as the example of yesterday, Sat. afternoon 3 pm, a TJ
reg lane crossing of 50 min., I think most of us would
sign up for that, and yes 50 min. seems a bit lite. I usually
except the worse when coming back at TJ, and have rarely
been anything but frustrated, always leaves a bad taste

DENNIS - 9-17-2017 at 11:07 AM


CBP lies through their tax-payer bought teeth. It has never been in their best interest to divulge wait times to the bad guys, and customer service is not their main goal or motivation.
Add to that.......long wait times produce loud complaints all the way back to the source, and complaints result in higher funding. This has been their game plan since day one.

Alm - 9-17-2017 at 01:32 PM

Quote: Originally posted by fandango  
I use an app on my iPhone and iPad called "border traffic".

It is for San ysidro and otay and shows the lines via multiple live cameras.

You can download the app, yes. They won't let you watch the cams without the app. Clicking on SY or Otay, and then on the camera icon would redirect you to paid subscription.

As noted few times here, the situation is dynamic, they switch lanes and the traffic changes by itself too. You arrive at the end of the line 15 minutes later, and waiting time could be +30 or -30 minutes from what it was. So... relax, make sure your A/C works and don't drink coffee before getting in the car :). First and foremost - relax. You can't change it.

gsbotanico - 9-17-2017 at 01:46 PM

Unexpected things can happen at the border. Years ago before Sentri I arrived at the San Ysidro crossing to find short lines with everyone standing outside their cars. I got out of my car and asked the person in front of me what was happening. "Una balacera" was the answer. A shoot-out!

I carefully backed out until I could turn around and then drove the wrong way on the one-way entrance. I headed to Otay and found the normal access off of Bellas Artes blocked by a policeman. I decided to take the toll road to Tecate, crossed with no wait, and drove Hiighway 94 back to I-805. I made it home at a reasonable time.

It turned out that Otay was jammed and the San Ysidro crossing was closed until the next morning. I had made the right decision.

SFandH - 9-18-2017 at 08:52 AM

I'm convinced that the line I'm in moves faster when I give the legless, armless, and/or blind people 10 pesos. I'm a sucker for old ladies too. Be compassionate to the folks that obviously need it. Make sure to take some coins with you.

[Edited on 9-18-2017 by SFandH]