Busy wait times for baseball fans at the border

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – If you’re driving across the border this weekend, don’t be surprised if there’s a long line up.

Some drivers calling into NEWS 1130 say the wait times are already up to four hours on the Pacific Highway.

The Toronto Blue Jay are playing three games in Seattle, with the first one starting tonight. Last year, the border crossings saw waits up to four hours when baseball fans travelled south.

But RCMP say managing traffic around the border isn’t a priority for them and enforcing minor offences would only “add to the chaos.”

“Congestion at border crossings is not an enforcement priority.” – Cpl. Mike Halskov with @BCRCMP

Last year, drivers complained about queue-jumpers and blocked intersections at Lower Mainland crossings. #BlueJays

— Tim James (@_TimJames) August 23, 2019

There isn’t much that can be done south of the border either. Renne Archer with U.S. Customs and Border Protection says there’s only so much her officers can do.

“We hear a lot of that – the frustrations and the complaints of the travellers – but we don’t have any jurisdiction in that area so we’re not able to enforce anything north of the border,” she says. “We know summer is generally a busy time and sporting events that bring Canadian teams to Seattle, such as the Blue Jay Mariner game, tend to really increase that volume.”

Last year, many callers to NEWS 1130 complained about queue jumpers at the border, and Abbotsford Police had to remind drivers not to block intersections leading up to Sumas.