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Border Crossing
- Thread starter Wyled
- Start date
Green Meenie
Well-known member
Avoid long weekends!
I used to always get pulled in and have to bend over when traveling in a car, even with friends.
On the bike - never and the guards have generally been more interested in the bike trip than me.
Malks
Well-known member
If you are crossing in the Niagara area, the Rainbow bridge is usually the lightest because there are no trucks. Then it's a short run along the Robert Moses Parkway to the 190, across Grand Island to Buffalo where you can pick up the I-90 if you are heading west.
If you're going east into Vermont or eastern NY, I've crossed from Kingston to Wolfe Island and entered at Cape Vincent NY. Two ferries beats a bridge every time. Only a toll on the boat that enters the US and that boat can only hold a few cars or bikes so not much of a line up on the US side.
I’m assuming that the trough is so they can easily get underneath cars/trucks to look for smuggled goods?
Definitely adds to the nerves when crossing on the bike.
Rob
The grading is messed up by the booth to tip the car up and let them see in the car. On a bike, if you try to put it on the side stand, it wont be leaned properly and may fall over.
ScorpionT16
Well-known member
Almost learn't this the hard way. Was crossing a few weeks back, went to put stuff back into my backpack while still on the bike, and it started to tip over to the right, almost went, foot just held it and boarder agent stuck his hand out the window to grab the handle bars. Was a oh boy moment...
Chris-CJ
Well-known member
Couple of years back,crossed over at Kingston and the bridge was a grated steel bridge. Is it still there?
(at the time was in a car with a dog...no trouble either way with the Border Guards being concerned with the dog even tho' he was large and unfriendly)
Heading down the highway
Malks
Well-known member
It was 2011 when we crossed back on the 1000 Islands bridge near Alexandria Bay and one of them was a grated steel deck at that time. Just a wee bit unnerving in the wet.
Getting off the small ferry that crosses into the US was also a little bit of a challenge because the water level was up that year and the smooth steel ramp had quite the slope down to the dock.
Here's a shot of the small ferry that connects Wolfe Island to the US entry point.
Not sure if that’s the reason.
I would assume that if they want a closer look, they’ll send you over to the Secondary Inspection Area.
I’ve always thought that as the entire “lane” is angled to allow easier viewing of car occupants, the trough is to allow for drainage and not flood the adjacent inspection booth in wet weather.
However, that’s just an assumption on my part.
If you like the steel bridge crossings, you'll love Ogdensburg.
Tripletrouble
Well-known member
I've crossed numerous times on a bike. Be polite and answer their questions. Don't chat or say any more than is necessary. They sometimes ask strange questions such as "what is your citizenship?" You want to say,"You're holding my Canadian passport, dumbass" but I simply reply Canadian. I've asked if they would like me to remove my helmet and sometimes it's yes , sometimes no. Have your story straight such as where you are going , where are you staying etc. One time I was trailering a couple of bikes down and was asked for the ownership of the trailer! Not something I had anticipated but luckily it was in my wallet. Another time, When asked where we were going my girlfriend said Alabama and I corrected her and said no, we're going to Arkansas. That slip cost us an hour in inspection and a thorough inspection including the drug sniffing dogs at the end of which the border guard said You're okay, you can go....
TL/DR Bottom line is have all of your paperwork ready and be prepared and it is usually quick and painles.
TL/DR Bottom line is have all of your paperwork ready and be prepared and it is usually quick and painles.
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