BajaNomad - New Border Crossing in Otay Mesa

ridiculous, they don't need another border crossing they just need to man what they have!

That's right. The Sunday rush is on at San Ysidro and there are closed lanes. Have they ever manned the second booth added to each lane?

At the end of the survey I linked to above there is a textbox for entering comments. I suggested they use the current facilities as they were designed to be used. Hire some people for goodness sake.

mtgoat666 - 5-23-2021 at 12:23 PM

It is going to be east of the current Otay crossing. It's going to be a toll crossing, maybe as high as $20. The amount has not been decided yet.

The link below is to a survey to collect prospective user's opinions. Tell them what you think.

https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/6340170/Bi-National-Border-Tr...

That survey went on and on, I quit as it took to long.

Just staff the existing border, problem would be solved.

A private toll-funded operation is just private sector filling in for dysfunctional government. Fire the bums in Homeland Security, and hire people that know how to serve customers!

white whale - 5-26-2021 at 03:28 PM

Quote: Originally posted by elgatoloco

Family got the house in 1960 when I was 2 years old. I remember as a kid tricky Dick Nixon's 'operation intercept' and 4 hour waits to cross and having to pee into a bottle. We have had Sentri since 1999.

Tricky Dick - blast from the past had to check it out - even has a WIKI page. Boy that had to have been the shortest lived government program in the history of the world. 2 year olds having to have a pee test ? wow. Or mom and dad had a VW van with flowers all over it put you into the bad lane. My how times have changed!

David K - 5-26-2021 at 07:31 PM

I think peeing into a bottle was the option to wetting one's pants, or worse, during a long border line wait?

del mar - 6-30-2021 at 11:00 AM

well looks like a done deal......no complaints here!
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-29/californ...

sancho - 6-30-2021 at 11:34 AM

Back in the day, I didn't have a bottle, but had to leave the driving to the girlfriend, sprint up past 30 cars in the line back
to the US, was a considerate US Customs guy who laughed and directed me to the restroom, got lucky

Bajazly - 6-30-2021 at 11:43 AM

"Toll collection will be for both northbound and southbound traffic. The revenue will be divided between the U.S. and Mexico, added Mario Orso, project director with Caltrans."

Anybody else see the problem here?

del mar - 6-30-2021 at 11:50 AM

"Toll collection will be for both northbound and southbound traffic. The revenue will be divided between the U.S. and Mexico, added Mario Orso, project director with Caltrans."

Anybody else see the problem here?

nope!

Bajazly - 6-30-2021 at 12:11 PM

nope!

Doesn't say anything about the revenue being split equally and with the vast majority of the tolls being collected northbound I can't imagine the US isn't going to make the argument they are doing most of the work hence they deserve most of the revenue.

Who is going to pay going south? Doesn't make any sense.

SFandH - 6-30-2021 at 12:23 PM

Who is going to pay going south? Doesn't make any sense.

M - F afternoon southbound rush hours, 3 PM to 6 PM or so at San Ysidro can be up to an hour wait. Weekend and holiday traffic is heavy too. Traffic backs up 805 and 5 and it's only going to get worse. Especially if the Americans decide they need to inspect southbound traffic. The inspection infrastructure is there, but usually unmanned. Folks living on the east side of TJ, where the growth is, will pay.

[Edited on 6-30-2021 by SFandH]

[Edited on 6-30-2021 by SFandH]

mtgoat666 - 6-30-2021 at 12:34 PM

nope!

Article explains a little about costs/funding, and explains that all tolls will be collected on USA side of border:
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/latest/story/2021-06-29...

Southbound users/payers will be people or shippers that find it in their interest to pay a toll. I suspect shippers will pay to use crossing when it is economically beneficial to do so.

del mar - 6-30-2021 at 02:58 PM

Who is going to pay going south? Doesn't make any sense.

absolutely! and it goes without saying no ones gonna be forced to use this toll crossing :rolleyes:

...and its gonna make a positive impact on the other crossings. I cross north maybe 4 times a year, this will be great

Bajazly - 6-30-2021 at 10:47 PM

I cross north maybe 4 times a year, this will be great

Ok, I'm gonna go with a JZ mantra here, something we actually agree on.

Lets say they hit their 20 minute time, they won't but whatever, and lets say the toll is $5, probably more like $20 but let's say $5. You cross 4 times a year and the new crossing is the only one you can use to get across in 20 minutes and the cost is $20 for the year.

Why in the hell wouldn't, haven't you gotten GE or Sentri? 8 out of 10 times I cross is like stopping at a traffic light and the longest I've waited is no more than 15 minutes, and, you could use any crossing you want other than Tecate.

The point is that the whole idea sounds like a giant boondoggle that is going to waste a bunch of money, not do what they say it will and be a bad deal for Mexico because at some point the US goons are not going to give Mexico the money negotiated in the deal. The fact that the US has mandated the tolls each direction are collected on the north side of the border should be a red flag in itself.

del mar - 6-30-2021 at 11:19 PM

I cross north maybe 4 times a year, this will be great

well sorry buddy they're building it, get over it :smug:

apple - 7-1-2021 at 08:59 AM

This will be great for those who can afford it, but the vast majority of users won't be able to and will still need to wait hours to cross. Another great example of the government making the lives of the wealthy easier, while allowing the poor to continue to suffer.

BornFisher - 7-1-2021 at 09:03 AM

The arguments against this are the same that were used against the CBX. Seems this is a win/win to me.

SFandH - 7-1-2021 at 09:20 AM

Quote: Originally posted by apple

This will be great for those who can afford it, but the vast majority of users won't be able to and will still need to wait hours to cross. Another great example of the government making the lives of the wealthy easier, while allowing the poor to continue to suffer.

I understand what you're saying but the "vast majority" of poor people don't drive across the border. Most can't get the required visa. And, this will ease the burden on the other Otay and San Ysidro crossings. Think of the toll as a tax on the people who can afford to pay it.

Just a thought.

[Edited on 7-1-2021 by SFandH]

David K - 7-1-2021 at 10:04 AM

Time is money... If you can sit in line for two hours, just how much is that worth to you? $5 for 15 minutes beats two hours for free, doesn't it? Maybe a gecko with an accent can make it more appealing?

Seriously, we here in San Diego were told that the larger San Ysidro crossing they recently finished building would eliminate the crazy long lines! The only problem is that they never seem to have all the new gates manned at the same time, so no improvement there. :rolleyes:

Bajazly - 7-1-2021 at 10:09 AM

What exactly is going to make these 5 to 10 new lanes go faster?

apple - 7-1-2021 at 01:25 PM

What exactly is going to make these 5 to 10 new lanes go faster?

Mostly the fact that a lot of crossers won't be willing or able to pay the fee

apple - 7-1-2021 at 01:27 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K

Time is money... If you can sit in line for two hours, just how much is that worth to you? $5 for 15 minutes beats two hours for free, doesn't it?

A lot of people crossing the border North are coming for work, many in lower paying jobs. They likely can't afford to pay an extra $100 per week in commuting costs

del mar - 7-1-2021 at 06:47 PM

Quote: Originally posted by apple

Quote: Originally posted by David K

Time is money... If you can sit in line for two hours, just how much is that worth to you? $5 for 15 minutes beats two hours for free, doesn't it?

A lot of people crossing the border North are coming for work, many in lower paying jobs. They likely can't afford to pay an extra $100 per week in commuting costs

soooo....there's always Chaparral, Otay and Tecate, what don't you understand? this will help EVERY crossing!

Bajazly - 7-1-2021 at 09:06 PM

this will help EVERY crossing!

No it won't. There are 26 lanes at San Ysidro. Is it totally screwed when all but 5 are open but flows fast when they are all open? NO. So how are 5 more going to do anything?

It's a 2 billion dollar boondoggle, everybody heard 20 minute crossings and got sucked in. Ain't gonna happen on even a semi regular basis.

mtgoat666 - 7-1-2021 at 09:20 PM

this will help EVERY crossing!

who peed in your wheaties this morning? Got crankiness? are you inebriated?

anywho,.. the new border ing will use variable tolling -- toll price changes with demand, so if wait gets longer, then toll increases and wait gets shorter

willardguy - 7-1-2021 at 09:40 PM

im curious why someone that lives in san felipe and will never use this crossing is soooo wound up about this? then again what else is there to do in san felipe?

Bajazly - 7-2-2021 at 12:05 AM

You're right, I have no dog in this fight and I don't care but the whole idea that 2 billion dollars for 5 +/- new lanes is going to make a difference is ludicrous. Just see the need to call bullchit when bullchit needs calling.

Goat, you even said it yourself, they should staff the existing border and problem solved.

Oh, and del mar, you were the first to call this whole thing ridiculous back on page one and SFandH agreed then you both about faced.

Maybe I'm wrong, maybe I'm not, guess we will see in a few years.

TecateRay - 7-3-2021 at 11:12 PM

Has anyone ever seen both booths in the tandem gates manned? If they kept the gates opened and manned the wait times would decline.
What makes anyone think that the toll gates would be fully staffed?

The construction cost estimates would likely double for the 5 new gates.
They rebuilt Tecate at a cost of millions and there were still only two gates when they finished. Nice new office for the staff but no better flow for the increased traffic from when the older facilities were opened.
Maybe all the money was for the commercial side.

SFandH - 7-4-2021 at 08:59 AM

Has anyone ever seen both booths in the tandem gates manned?

Only one time. That was early on when they had just finished the border crossing modifications.

There is no good excuse that I can think of to not open all lanes and man all booths from early morning to late night.

Don Pisto - 7-4-2021 at 09:13 AM

Has anyone ever seen both booths in the tandem gates manned?

its about $$$$
https://www.nteu.org/legislative-action/congressional-testim...

[Edited on 7-4-2021 by Don Pisto]

SFandH - 7-4-2021 at 09:20 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Don Pisto

Has anyone ever seen both booths in the tandem gates manned?

its about $$$$
https://www.nteu.org/legislative-action/congressional-testim...

[Edited on 7-4-2021 by Don Pisto]

Well, sure. I said there is no good excuse. The article emphasizes this:

"According to CBP, for every 1,000 CBP officers hired there is an increase in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $2 billion; $642 million in opportunity costs are saved (the amount of time that a traveler could be using for purposes other than waiting in line, such as working or enjoying leisure activities); and 33,148 annual jobs are added.

In addition, according to the Joint Economic Committee (JEC), the volume of commerce crossing our borders has more than tripled in the past 25 years. Long wait times lead to delays and travel time uncertainty, which can increase supply chain and transportation costs. According to the Department of Commerce, border delays result in losses to output, wages, jobs and tax revenue due to decreases in spending by companies, suppliers and consumers. JEC research finds border delays cost the U.S. economy between $90 million and $5.8 billion each year."

[Edited on 7-4-2021 by SFandH]

willardguy - 7-4-2021 at 09:35 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Don Pisto

Has anyone ever seen both booths in the tandem gates manned?

its about $$$$
https://www.nteu.org/legislative-action/congressional-testim...

[Edited on 7-4-2021 by Don Pisto]

how about simply its a chitty job nobody wants?

SFandH - 7-4-2021 at 09:41 AM

Quote: Originally posted by willardguy

how about simply its a chitty job nobody wants?

Average salary $83,000 and full benefits. All you need is a trainable person that can read and write.

https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/CBP-Officer-Salary--in...

BajaTed - 7-4-2021 at 09:51 AM

Quote: Originally posted by willardguy

how about simply its a chitty job nobody wants?

Average salary $83,000 and full benefits. All you need is a trainable person that can read and write.

https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/CBP-Officer-Salary--in...

Bada Bing
And never smoked weed in their whole lives.

Don Pisto - 7-4-2021 at 10:22 AM

Quote: Originally posted by BajaTed