BajaNomad

San Ysidro border slow down

BajaNaranja - 8-23-2020 at 10:41 PM

San Ysidro northbound crossing was messy today with only a handful of lanes open. SENTRI was about 35 min, and a couple vehicles in front of me were receiving flyers from the agent which probably were the "educational materials" mentioned in the article:

CBP Imposes New Measures to Curb Non-Essential Travel Across US-Mexico Border

https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/cbp-imposes-new-measu...

"The agency said that in a recent survey, 60% of travel across the border was for non-essential reasons.

To reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S., CBP said it is making adjustments to its operations at entry ports in Mexico to limit non-essential travel. Affected ports of entry in Baja California include that of San Ysidro, Otay Mesa and Calexico, CBP said.

The agency said that in ports of entry, secondary inspections will be conducted on those who are suspected of traveling for an unnecessary reason. During the secondary inspection, individuals will be given educational materials on the coronavirus issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It will be to raise awareness on the pandemic and to ensure travelers understand the risk of border crossing."

Ken Cooke - 8-23-2020 at 10:50 PM

I waited too long for SENTRI. No way I'm using ReadyLane at this point.

SFandH - 8-23-2020 at 11:39 PM

https://www.el-mexicano.com.mx/estatal/hasta-9-horas-para-cr...

BajaNomad - 8-24-2020 at 12:00 AM

https://www.10news.com/news/local-news/south-bay-news/border...

SFandH - 8-24-2020 at 07:23 AM

Just checked the webcams and it looks like all but 3 lanes at San Ysidro are open. There are around 30 lanes. Wait times in the regular and ready lanes look to be about an hour longer than normal for a Monday morning. SENTRI is at 15 minutes.

At one point yesterday about 1/2 the lanes were closed and waits were 6 to 7 hours, at times more, in regular and ready lanes and SENTRI was over an hour.

These long lines are a dangerous situation. Once in line you can't turn around and there is no way to get quick emergency help if needed, maybe any emergency help. Heck there's not even a bathroom.

I strongly question the wisdom of the individual(s) that made the decision to intentionally close and slow the lines.



[Edited on 8-24-2020 by SFandH]

mtgoat666 - 8-24-2020 at 08:15 AM

Quote: Originally posted by BajaNaranja  


"The agency said that in a recent survey, 60% of travel across the border was for non-essential reasons.

To reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S., CBP said it is making adjustments to its operations at entry ports in Mexico to limit non-essential travel. Affected ports of entry in Baja California include that of San Ysidro, Otay Mesa and Calexico, CBP said.

The agency said that in ports of entry, secondary inspections will be conducted on those who are suspected of traveling for an unnecessary reason.


Right out of Stalin’s playbook for running an Iron Curtain.

BajaNaranja - 8-24-2020 at 09:00 AM

Right now https://bwt.cbp.gov/details/09250401/POV says:

Current Wait: 390 min
At 8:00 am PDT, 9 lanes open
Average Wait: 148 min

That's brutal...

tjsue - 8-24-2020 at 09:12 AM

This is a good one to check, too.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/547917278583407/

SFandH - 8-24-2020 at 09:32 AM

Quote: Originally posted by BajaNaranja  
Right now https://bwt.cbp.gov/details/09250401/POV says:

Current Wait: 390 min
At 8:00 am PDT, 9 lanes open
Average Wait: 148 min

That's brutal...


I find that website to be highly unreliable, and I watch the border closely. The website I use is https://www.bordertraffic.com/ . It's 9:30 AM and at San Ysidro the regular lines are 1:30 hours, ready lines 1:06, and sentri lines 9 minutes. Viewing the webcams show all but 3 lanes are open, so that's about 30 open lanes divided up between regular, ready, and sentri.

Apparently things are back to normal.

If your Spanish is good, you can listen to 104.5 FM in the border area. Frequent border traffic updates, but it's rapid fire spanish. Pretty good music too!



[Edited on 8-24-2020 by SFandH]

BajaNaranja - 8-24-2020 at 09:49 AM

Quote: Originally posted by SFandH  
Quote: Originally posted by BajaNaranja  
Right now https://bwt.cbp.gov/details/09250401/POV says:

Current Wait: 390 min
At 8:00 am PDT, 9 lanes open
Average Wait: 148 min

That's brutal...


I find that website to be highly unreliable, and I watch the border closely. The website I use is https://www.bordertraffic.com/ . It's 9:30 AM and at San Ysidro the regular lines are 1:30 hours, ready lines 1:06, and sentri lines 9 minutes. Viewing the webcams show all but 3 lanes are open, so that's about 30 open lanes divided up between regular, ready, and sentri.

Apparently things are back to normal.

If your Spanish is good, you can listen to 104.5 FM in the border area. Frequent border traffic updates, but it's rapid fire spanish. Pretty good music too!

[Edited on 8-24-2020 by SFandH]


Thanks SFandH for your info - it actually jives perfectly with what I just heard from a relative who just got through SENTRI in just a couple minutes... I think I'll delete the bookmark I just created to bwt.cbp.gov, since the info they provide is pretty much garbage.

Looks like bordertraffic.com is a pay / subscribe service, though... I can hack my way through their site to see some of the webcams, but no details about actual current wait times, unless you are a premium subscriber... ?

SFandH - 8-24-2020 at 09:54 AM

I've been a subscriber for several years. It's 8 dollars per year. I've gotten familiar enough with the crossing where I can just look at the length of the lines using the webcams and know how long it will take.

[Edited on 8-24-2020 by SFandH]

JZ - 8-24-2020 at 11:53 AM

This thread has super useful info.

Alm - 8-24-2020 at 04:34 PM

Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666  

Right out of Stalin’s playbook for running an Iron Curtain.


I don't know, Mtgoat... Did you see that gem in the link by the Admin?: a woman heading to the U.S. to visit friends and go to the beach was asked if they thought that was essential travel, they replied in Spanish, "Yes". :).... This is hilarious...

SFandH - 8-24-2020 at 04:49 PM

I wonder if the restriction to "essential travel" does any good. I guess we'll never really know.

John Harper - 8-24-2020 at 06:48 PM

God, I miss the good old days. When people just worried about hoarding toilet paper.

John

bajatrailrider - 8-24-2020 at 07:34 PM

Best statement every John

PaulW - 8-25-2020 at 06:26 AM

Others got trapped during the slowdown. Mexicali East was the slowest and mexicali west was better. 1 hr W, 7 hr E
I hope that issue is now in the past?

Alm - 8-25-2020 at 10:54 AM

Quote: Originally posted by SFandH  
I wonder if the restriction to "essential travel" does any good. I guess we'll never really know.


It did cut off Canadians and Mexicans without US passport or green card. This does more good to Canada than to the US because even after the recent drop in the US the daily numbers per capita are still 5 times higher than in Canada. With Mexico it's less clear, their per capita numbers are officially lower than in the US but so it the testing.

The very first entry on the essential list says "Citizens and lawful permanent residents returning to the United States". Double citizen Mexican living in Tijuna going to visit friends in Ca and go to the playa, is not really returning to live in the US. They are skirting the rules. And so do true expats living 90% of time in Mexico when they travel not for medical and other reasons listed as essential. Though true expats are likely a minority on this forum and in the border line-ups.

Beside Mexicans with US passport, the bulk of "returning" citizens are what the US ambassador in Mexico recently called "casual travelers" - US citizens returning from a leisure trip to Baja. They should've been turned around by Mexican INM but they were not.

I guess CBP are doing what they can in this situation. Might not help much, though.

[Edited on 8-25-2020 by Alm]

del mar - 8-25-2020 at 11:01 AM

Quote: Originally posted by PaulW  
Others got trapped during the slowdown. Mexicali East was the slowest and mexicali west was better. 1 hr W, 7 hr E
I hope that issue is now in the past?


facebookers are reporting incredibly shorts lines today, at least SY and Otay. looks like these long waits will just be a weekend deal.

SFandH - 8-25-2020 at 11:09 AM

Quote: Originally posted by del mar  
Quote: Originally posted by PaulW  
Others got trapped during the slowdown. Mexicali East was the slowest and mexicali west was better. 1 hr W, 7 hr E
I hope that issue is now in the past?


facebookers are reporting incredibly shorts lines today, at least SY and Otay. looks like these long waits will just be a weekend deal.


The lines are short today and all the lanes are open. IMHO, this past weekend was a giant screw-up by the CBP. Tragically, an elderly woman died in a car trapped in the horrendous lines. No way to turn around and bail, no emergency help, no bathrooms, you're trapped. Also, there have been reports of cars running out of gas while waiting hours and hours longer than expected.

[Edited on 8-25-2020 by SFandH]

Alm - 8-25-2020 at 11:23 AM

Quote: Originally posted by SFandH  

IMHO, this past weekend was a giant screw-up by the CBP.

It was also a result of a screw-up by INM that let everybody in. CBP tried to correct this. Historically, no foreigner ever succeeded in correcting or "improving" Mexico.

mtgoat666 - 8-25-2020 at 11:38 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Alm  
Historically, no foreigner ever succeeded in correcting or "improving" Mexico.


i disagree. al gore invented the internet, and i think the internet has improved mexico. so cant we say that al gore is a foreigner that succeeded in improving mexico? :lol:

SFandH - 8-25-2020 at 01:19 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Alm  

Historically, no foreigner ever succeeded in correcting or "improving" Mexico.


In the 19th century German immigrants started the first modern breweries.

A MAJOR improvement!!



Ateo - 8-25-2020 at 01:31 PM

Took someone I know 6 hours to cross northbound at SY two days ago.

BajaTed - 8-26-2020 at 07:03 AM

10 minutes in the Otay Sentri lane.

But navigating the last miles to the turn in lane was a nightmare.
The heat, all the traffic for miles and everyone fully agitated.



SFandH - 8-26-2020 at 09:12 AM

San Ysidro is back to normal.

But, weekend hours when the majority of traffic is non-essential may be different. They may apply the brakes again. We'll see.

IMO they should reopen Ped-West. Having people cue up, close together, at Ped-East is unnecesarily dangerous virus wise. The idea should be to keep the lines as short as possible and quickly move pedestrians through.

RocketJSquirrel - 8-29-2020 at 02:37 PM

Are things still "back to normal" or are they going to choke the border again this weekend?

SFandH - 8-29-2020 at 02:44 PM

According to the website I use, at San Ysidro right now it's 1.5 hrs normal, 1.0 ready, 10 min Sentri - normal.

David K - 8-29-2020 at 03:24 PM

Quote: Originally posted by RocketJSquirrel  
Are things still "back to normal" or are they going to choke the border again this weekend?


Nobody can predict the future, but common sense and reading Baja Nomad will tell you to avoid crossing on a weekend or holiday. Midday is best. Use Tecate for the win (but it is open only from 5 am to 2 pm during the virus). :light:

BornFisher - 8-29-2020 at 03:31 PM

Went through regular line Friday 8AM. In front of me were 2 cars and 1 motorcycle. 3 or 4 minutes to cross!!

Glidergeek - 8-31-2020 at 08:29 AM

Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666  
Quote: Originally posted by Alm  
Historically, no foreigner ever succeeded in correcting or "improving" Mexico.


i disagree. al gore invented the internet, and i think the internet has improved mexico. so cant we say that al gore is a foreigner that succeeded in improving mexico? :lol:


I disagree, Al Gore merely plagiarized.
https://webfoundation.org/about/vision/history-of-the-web/?g...