RICHMOND (NEWS 1130) – With another long weekend soon to be in the books, you’re either considering a last-minute dash to Washington state, or trying to plan your return from a few day vacation.
But for many, waiting in the lineup can be a source of nearly-endless frustration.
There are, however, some entirely non-scientific tips from our resident border-crosser that could make things just a little easier on you.
Wait times
Agencies on both sides of the border release border wait data, which isn’t always exact, but gives you a sense of where volume is heavy.
“Listen to a border report or look for one while you’re heading to the border, then check again when you’re within about five minutes,” NEWS 1130’s Peter Wagner says.
“That seems pretty obvious, but if one crossing is showing a long wait, and a nearby one isn’t, you can bet the volume will start to shift the other way.”
And you’ll be caught up in a line that seemed much longer than you were expecting.
Also consider using the Aldergrove or Sumas crossings, which can sometimes have considerably lower wait times.
When you get into Washington state, the road systems are almost universally designed as a farm-grid, making navigating to I-5 not very difficult at all.
When you’re at the border
Picking the line is a bit like hurling a dart into a dark room. But there are some signs to watch for that could help you make it to the front of the line faster.
For instance, if you’re behind a number of cars with license plates from places that don’t touch a border, they might take longer to process, Wagner says.
The same is usually true of RV’s and large trailers.
And, if you think showing up in the wee hours of the morning is a sure-fire way to beat the lines, it doesn’t always work that way.
“They usually have fewer lanes open at off hours, so even 10 or 11 cars in the line could make for a long wait early in the morning.”
His most basic advice: just be prepared to wait like everyone else.
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