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"Best Time to Cross the Border" is a new service that is accessible on the Web -- http://traffic.calit2.net/border/ -- and also as an Android app at https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...t.calit2.ports in the Android Market (aka Google Play). Border crossers can also search for the Android app under the name "Best Time to Cross the Border" in the Google Play store.

The new service is the product of engineers and computer-science students at the University of California, San Diego, who work in the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2). The free app builds on other services that Calit2 offers free of charge to the public, including the California Wireless Traffic Report, which facilitates access to information on commuting times in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego County.

Best time to cross at San Ysidro

Best time to cross at Otay Mesa

Best time to cross at Tecate

If you scroll down each page you can see it broken down by each day of the week...

Now THAT is a very useful tool to help plan.

Unfortunately, it looks like the best time is smack dab in the madrugada. 2-3am weekdays is an hour wait at San Ysidro?

Must realllly suck having to cross that early to work.

The ready lane is much better...

I Know how to get to the ready lane at Otay Mesa but am having a difficult time coming from 1D or Mex 1. Do you know the turnoff to get there. I hear that you can access the inner lane at the San Ysidro main loop access. Not Sure how to get there from Padre Kino and Mex 1.

So I was guessing that the best time to cross would be weekday late morning in and out with maybe an hour wait. Is this realistic? Is there a better time as I do have flexibility to cross at other times but do not want to cross late at night.

Thx!
Gari

yup, I find hitting the border around 10ish gets me thru under an hour in the ready lane. I can live with that!

S-E-N-T-R-I

Originally Posted by Teniente

S-E-N-T-R-I

I agree and if you are interested in one, don't wait. The wait times for your application to be processed get longer every month. I have had mine in for 6 weeks and still don't have an interview date. With more expats moving here every month, it ain't gonna get better anytime soon.

Originally Posted by TravelPro787

I agree and if you are interested in one, don't wait. The wait times for your application to be processed get longer every month. I have had mine in for 6 weeks and still don't have an interview date. With more expats moving here every month, it ain't gonna get better anytime soon.

Our conditional approval took 8 weeks. We then went to the "walk up office" in San Ysidro and had our interview scheduled for the next week.......we could have had it the next day. Sure beats waiting for an interview at the Otay office.

We did the same at SY ... and it was SO worth it ... when coming back across .. longest wait time in SENTRI was 16 minutes ... crossing at 9 a.m. ...

Came across at 5 a.m. once... we only had to stop for showing our passes to the camera ... and then a brief stop for a howdy ... then gone... maybe 4 minutes

If ya come across ... it is the ONLY way to go.... IMHO

WOW!!! This is super cool!

thx :)
gari

Originally Posted by BajaGringo

"Best Time to Cross the Border" is a new service that is accessible on the Web -- http://traffic.calit2.net/border/ -- and also as an Android app at https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...t.calit2.ports in the Android Market (aka Google Play). Border crossers can also search for the Android app under the name "Best Time to Cross the Border" in the Google Play store.

The new service is the product of engineers and computer-science students at the University of California, San Diego, who work in the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2). The free app builds on other services that Calit2 offers free of charge to the public, including the California Wireless Traffic Report, which facilitates access to information on commuting times in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego County.

Best time to cross at San Ysidro

Best time to cross at Otay Mesa

Best time to cross at Tecate

If you scroll down each page you can see it broken down by each day of the week...

I just received an email from a friend who lives in Tijuana and has been using these border crossing guides - he tells me that they really are very close to predicting what to expect for delays. Of course on holidays / special events - all bets are off...

Looks like Tues-Sat a bit past midnight is the call for San Ysidro/Standard.

Finally have interview in SY office tomorrow. Took 11 weeks for application to get to top of stack.

NO MORE 2-3 HOURS WAITS...YIPPPEEEE!

Came through Tecate Monday morning at 10. Wait 2 hours, Grrrrrr!!! Double line of vehicles almost to the street.

Shot threw Otay Mesa Ready lane in 10 minutes Flat at 6:30 pm on July 3rd. That's a record for me.

Originally Posted by BohemiaBeerBash

I Know how to get to the ready lane at Otay Mesa but am having a difficult time coming from 1D or Mex 1. Do you know the turnoff to get there. I hear that you can access the inner lane at the San Ysidro main loop access. Not Sure how to get there from Padre Kino and Mex 1.

From Padre Kino you head past the airport on the Tecate/Mexicali libre Mx. 1 and take the street called Blvd. de Las Belles Artes which is a left turn about a mile after you pass the airport on Mx. 1. Then you go about a mile and as soon as you pass under the bridge which is the street coming from the Otay crossing you make a U turn and go up the second right before or at the bridge, the first is the Sentri, but the second is a ramp up to the street you will cross the border on. Get in the left lane as soon as you can and there are the Ready Lanes. Alan

We had two nieces and our daughter living in an apartment in the Tijuana Playas and had to make that crossing a number of times.

I HATED IT!

We even tried the Otay crossing several times and it wasn't any better.

This may not be pertinent, but we usually cross in Tecate. On our most recent trip we crossed south at 0830 on a Monday, and were the only car at the entry. There was a slight delay due to the bank kiosk guy opening a bit late. But the whole crossing and visa buying took about 30 minutes

Coming north we hit the border at about 1700 on a Wednesday afternoon, and had one car in front of us. We spent a few minutes in Secondary, but again, the whole thing took less than 30 minutes.

We have learned to avoid Tecate on a weekend when northbound, but otherwise it has worked out very well for us.

Border crossing wait times for San Ysidro (Tijuana) - Graphs