San Ysidro's motorcycle lane had a rough first day
Customs and Border Protection opened a designated motorcycle entrance at the world's busiest land crossing. Riders showed up. So did the wait.
SAN YSIDRO: U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced the change on September 3: a designated motorcycle entrance at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, giving two-wheeled crossers their own dedicated path through the busiest land border crossing in the Western Hemisphere. The entrance, near Lane 15, opened September 8 at 4 a.m. and operates Monday through Friday from 4 to 10 a.m. It was a small, practical fix for a constituency that crosses daily. On its first morning, riders reported waits of up to an hour anyway.
The long first-day lines, reported by local media, were a reminder that at San Ysidro, demand overwhelms every new piece of infrastructure on contact. A dedicated entrance helps only if the processing behind it can keep pace with the riders who show up to use it.
Why it matters beyond riders
For riders who cross daily, two wheels are the affordable way across: workers, students, and families. A facility that works for them is a small piece of the larger project of making the border function for the region that lives on both sides of it.
CBP's bet is that separating motorcycle traffic from the general lanes improves throughput for everyone. The first day suggests the agency will need to tune operations, staffing, and rider awareness before the entrance delivers on that promise. At the world's busiest crossing, even the good ideas start with a line.
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