Is it possible to live in Fort Erie and commute to Buffalo daily?

[jblake78728]

Originally Posted by dv07dg

It isn't abnormal for residents of Fort Erie (Peace Bridge) Niagara Falls (Rainbow or Whirlpool Bridge) or Niagara-On-The-Lake (Queenston-Lewiston Bridge) to cross regularly- I live in Niagara Falls ON and I cross once or twice a week using either the Rainbow Bridge or the Peace Bridge to shop, buy gas, and ski at Holiday Valley in the winter. I never really wait in bad lineups, although it's a good idea to pay attention to the events and holidays going on on both sides of the bridge to predict the traffic. Still, even when it looks like there's a bit of a line, it rarely takes me more than fifteen minutes to cross the bridge.
I don't know if it's particularly common to find someone who crosses every day for work, but I can think of a few instances where I've heard of an American marrying a Canadian and moving over here but still commuting to their job in the States, for instance.
I think someone's already mentioned Nexus as an option for someone who goes over regularly- I used to have one and it was great, but I didn't end up renewing it when it expired because to use the Nexus line everyone in the vehicle has to have a card, and I usually go over with friends who don't. Still, if you are by yourself or with a carload of Nexus pass holders, you really feel like a VIP zipping through the queue! And the Whirlpool bridge is a great option- you have to have a Nexus and register your vehicle to use it, but you'll never wait in a lineup or be interrogated at any length regarding the nature of your visit. The only awkward part of that bridge is that it leads you to a kind of sketchy (from what I've seen) part of Niagara Falls on the American side.

As someone that crosses fairly regularly how often to you get more than just the basic Q & A from the border patrol? I hear that they will randomly ask people to pull over, do a more thorough check of their vehicle & the IDs of everyone in the car. I can't honestly say I've ever seen much of this but I only cross maybe 1 or 2 times a month.

[dv07dg]

Originally Posted by jblake78728

As someone that crosses fairly regularly how often to you get more than just the basic Q & A from the border patrol? I hear that they will randomly ask people to pull over, do a more thorough check of their vehicle & the IDs of everyone in the car. I can't honestly say I've ever seen much of this but I only cross maybe 1 or 2 times a month.

(This beginning part I'm sure you know, but I'm just going to explain it here anyway just in case anyone else is curious! lol)

So, as you're pulling through, they always check everyone in the car's ID, ask you all your citizenship and the purpose of your trip. Sometimes they ask extra questions- "Do you have anything to declare today?" "Whose vehicle are you driving?" "Are there any exotic animals in the car?" (seriously, I've been asked that) etc. But even if they ask a few questions, you'll rarely be idling at their booth for more than a couple minutes before they hand you back your ID and let you through.
Once or twice during the winter when I'm with a couple people and our vehicle is all loaded up with skiing equipment, I'll get asked to pop my trunk and sometimes to open the side doors. The border guard will then walk around and do a quick check, but they certainly don't do a thorough search by any means, and it really doesn't take any notable amount of time.
I do recall one time when I was quite young, being randomly pulled over with my parents and waiting in a waiting room while they searched our car. So they definitely do random checks, but again, I go over on a weekly basis at least and I can only remember being hassled even remotely that one time. I have no idea how frequently they do these searches or how they choose the people they're going to pull over, but I wouldn't say the chances of it happening are huge. I suspect they ordinarily only pull people over for suspicious behaviour, and maybe one or two days out of the month they'll search one in every however many vehicles. I'm just guessing, of course, but the point is that the risk of being seriously delayed because you're searched at the border isn't super likely.

Now- I'm talking about being a Canadian and crossing from the Canadian side over to the American side. The American border guards are almost always lovely and nice and I've really never been majorly hassled. I'm always a little more intimidated coming home to the Canadian side, because I've usually spent more money than I should and I'm afraid they'll make me pay duty. So far so good though- I haven't been pulled over for that yet!

[jblake78728]

Originally Posted by dv07dg

I'm just guessing, of course, but the point is that the risk of being seriously delayed because you're searched at the border isn't super likely.

That's basically what I was wondering, doesn't sound like its a big issue at all.