Pedestrians to try fast-track permits, too
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/mexico/tijuana/20040718-9...
SENTRI is working for cars, but traffic's a mess at the border
By Janine Z??iga
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
July 18, 2004
SAN YSIDRO ? Under a pilot program, pedestrians who cross the border daily will soon use fast-track permits similar to ones used by drivers, even as
that very vehicle program has created an unexpected problem on local streets.
The success of the SENTRI program ? commuter lanes used by more than 56,000 cross-border drivers ? has led the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border
Protection to create a trial program for pedestrians.
Participants in the pilot program will get a card that will open a gate to a special line. Cameras will pick up images of the pedestrians' faces and
compare them with photos on a computer. By the time pedestrians reach an inspector, they should be recognized as a frequent crosser.
However, locals say an unintended consequence of the popular vehicle program leaves SENTRI cars driving around or waiting in red zones, border
business parking lots and in other restricted areas near the port of entry.
The problem is that drivers who travel north with people not allowed in their SENTRI vehicles have been dropping off their passengers in Tijuana near
the pedestrian lanes. They then drive across the border and wait for their passengers to walk through Customs and into San Ysidro.
Only those prescreened for a particular vehicle are allowed to cross inside it.
"San Ysidro Boulevard does not allow for that kind of traffic," said Richard Gomez, president of the Border Transportation Council. "There is no
capacity. SENTRI was not intended for that. It was intended for authorized drivers and their passengers to continue on through."
The 8-year-old SENTRI program was designed to speed up cross-border traffic.
Because they are prescreened, SENTRI users are less likely to be smuggling drugs and people across the border, which frees up inspectors to focus more
on the regular lanes.
SENTRI cars, seen idling near the border this week, were easy to spot, with white transponders affixed to the windshields. The transponders allow
inspectors to quickly see photos of those who are allowed in a particular vehicle.
Hector Hernandez, who owns a business in Tijuana but lives in San Diego, waited in a red zone Thursday. Hernandez said that although he has not
received any tickets, he has seen police issuing them. For now, Hernandez' transponder allows only him and his son to cross inside his SUV.
"You can't wait anywhere anymore," Hernandez said. "You can't double park. I'm just waiting for my wife. I took her to a doctor's appointment in
Tijuana."
A woman who would only give her first name, Carla, sat in her car with the engine running at Jack in the Box. Carla, who received a $200 ticket last
week for parking in a new transit-only zone, waited about 10 minutes for her mother.
"I worry that someone might come out here and say: 'Why are you parking here?' " said Carla, who despite the ticket will continue to cross in the same
manner. "It's better this way. It takes sometimes an hour in the car lanes."
Jose Perez, a San Diego Police Department community relations officer, said there are nearby areas where SENTRI cars can legally wait.
"They can pick them up further up the boulevard or on the other side of the freeway, on Camiones Way," Perez said. "That's basically it."
At the rate of new SENTRI vehicle permits being granted ? up to 700 per month ? and with two more vehicle lanes set to open later this year, the
problem may only get worse.
"As the program expands, it's going to open a Pandora's box," Gomez said.
San Ysidro Port Director Oscar Preciado said SENTRI is not for everyone. He said people are told when applying that they can only cross with those
registered to the vehicle. Up to 6,300 SENTRI vehicles cross daily.
"The last meeting we had with the city, we were told there are two parking spots north of the port of entry," Preciado said. "We hope to talk to
owners, to create an area where these people can park. Otherwise, it's out of our control."
Meanwhile, fliers about the pilot program for pedestrians are being handed out to selected people. The customs bureau will accept up to 5,000
applications, but only from those who cross Monday through Friday during the peak crossing hours of 5 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 7 p.m.
Those interested in signing up also may call (619) 690-7601, 690-7602, 690-7603 or 690-7604 to set up an appointment.
Vince Bond, a bureau spokesman, said the program will screen participants and work much the same way as SENTRI.
The pilot program is free for participants and will run from Aug. 10 to Dec. 10. Preciado said a decision will be made by officials in Washington,
D.C., whether to continue the program. He said the new technology will eventually allow SENTRI commuters to use either the car or pedestrian lanes.
"That may be a solution," Gomez said. "It sounds very practical to authorize passengers rather than the vehicle itself."
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