Many times, we have heard or read this statement that San Ysidro Port of Entry is the World´s busiest border crossing, maybe not, but it is one of the busiest and it does feel that way. Undeniably, the SY-POE is a very dynamic crossing and an incredible source of people energy. In 2019 close to 37 million people crossed northbound through the SY-POE[1], and if the great majority of those crossed southbound, that would be 60 million crossings in one year, it is like moving all of the State of California back and forth in one day. Even though this is a huge number, it is not enough to make it the World´s busiest, that would be in the city of Johor Bahru in Malaysia across the Straits of Johor to the town of Woodlands in Singapore. The Causeway link connecting these two cities has a daily traffic of over 350,000[2]workers commuting from Malaysia to Singapore, that is about 127 million per year, more than double of SY-POE, one way. The SY-PEO is the busiest border crossing in North America for sure, in 2019 over 189 million passengers entered the United States through the 23 Ports of Entry between the U.S. and Mexico. The SY-POE represents close to 20% of all that traffic, and 22% of all pedestrian crossings with close to 11 million in 2019. Additionally, there were 1,6 million passengers through Cross Border Express (CBX) airport terminal, and another 3.5 million pedestrians through the Otay Mesa POE, a total of 16.1 million pedestrians walking through San Diego Ports of Entry.
The SY-PEO is the busiest border crossing in North America for sure, in 2019 over 189 million passengers entered the United States through the 23 Ports of Entry between the U.S. and Mexico. The SY-POE represents close to 20% of all that traffic, and 22% of all pedestrian crossings with close to 11 million in 2019. Additionally, there were 1,6 million passengers through Cross Border Express (CBX) airport terminal, and another 3.5 million pedestrians through the Otay Mesa POE, a total of 16.1 million pedestrians walking through San Diego Ports of Entry.
2020
As the Pedestrian processing lanes on the East side of the SY-POE finished remodeling in mid-2018, it was noticeable the increase of pedestrians walking through what is known as PED-EAST. The remodeling includes a beautiful pedestrian plaza and walkway southbound into Tijuana, with opened on April 2019. This area connects to the San Diego Trolley station and long-haul bus terminal, as well as shopping and dining.
The growing number of users was halted as the COVID 19 Pandemic and shelter in place ordinances came into effect. The latest data available for April 2020 shows a dramatic drop of passengers crossing the SY-POE, down more than 50%.
| San Ysidro - POE | 2020 | |||
| Measure | January | February | March | April |
| Bus Passengers | 8,608 | 8,225 | 4,699 | 1,896 |
| Buses | 3,840 | 3,844 | 3,140 | 1,428 |
| Pedestrians | 831,154 | 775,305 | 541,519 | 196,739 |
| Personal Vehicle Passengers | 2,298,003 | 2,144,131 | 1,621,349 | 835,167 |
| Personal Vehicles | 1,391,251 | 1,311,967 | 1,050,632 | 618,579 |
What does make the San Ysidro POE unique is the amount of businesses, housing and services in the area surrounding the actual customs and immigration facilities. Immediately adjacent to the government facilities are on both sides of the border a wide range of housing, shops, restaurants, and services all within walking distance, it is a microcosm of the US-Mexico trade relationship. As the economies reopen Post-COVID, there are many opportunities to maximize the value of this unique micro zone. The BFusion strategy is a great tool to unify efforts and generate collective impact. Join!
[1] Source: United States Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS)[1] Singapore Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) www.ica.gov.sg
Post Written By Flavio Olivieri, June 2020
