Thread: Border traffic on decline

Friday, December 12, 2008
Tom Greenwood
Border traffic on decline

It looks like the dismal economy, high gas prices and a little bit of passport paranoia are taking their toll on border crossings between Michigan and Canada.

According to figures from the Public Border Owners Association (an organization that monitors border crossings between the U.S., Canada and Mexico), crossings between Michigan and Ontario are on the decline. From November 2007 to November 2008, combined truck, passenger and bus traffic at the Ambassador Bridge dropped by about 19 percent. At the Blue Water Bridge volumes dropped by 1.73 percent and the Detroit/Windsor Tunnel shows a 2.7 percent drop in business.

"For those of us who work at the border, we can always tell when things are getting better or worse based on traffic volumes," said Stan Korosec, a spokesman for the PBOA.

"That's especially true for commercial traffic. The U.S. and Canada are each other's biggest trading partner; when you see truck traffic numbers go down, you know something's not right."

The decline in international traffic isn't only in southeastern Michigan. According to the PBOA, volumes are also down by nearly 7 percent at crossings here and in New York.

"This past summer no one was traveling because of very high gas prices, which were even higher in Canada than in the U.S.," said Neil Belitsky, CEO/President of the Detroit/Windsor Tunnel Corporation.

"The value of the Canadian dollar certainly hurt all U.S./Canadian border crossings earlier in the year and I think there's still confusion about the documents needed to cross the border. Add all of that to the general economic conditions and people are driving less in order to keep a couple of bucks in their pocket."

There's not much any one person can do about the economy, but fears about crossing the border are easy to dispel.

The first thing to remember is that by June 2009 everyone driving into Canada or Mexico will need either a passport or some other form of approved document to prove U.S. citizenship. Here in Michigan, U.S. Customs is upgrading its facilities with equipment that will be able to read new electronic "pocket" passports and the secretary of state's new enhanced Michigan driver's license.

Both forms of identification will make it easier and faster to cross the border, plus it will increase border security.

Commuting


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That's especially true for commercial traffic. The U.S. and Canada are each other's biggest trading partner; when you see truck traffic numbers go down, you know something's not right."

Please the so called trade is coming from American company who moved so. of the border for cheap labor.
It has nothing to do with Mexican Manufacturing....and we could keep our own fruits and vegging here instead of them recieving our safe food and us receiving their poisoned food!