Improving and Strengthening Transportation Between U.S. and Mexico
Deputy Secretary for the U.S. Department of Transportation talks about the importance of supporting travel and tran
sportation between Mexico and the U.S. along the border and in the air.
Travel begins and ends with transportation. Whether it’s by car, plane, train, or ship, we are all dependent on transportation to get us to our destination. And for the millions of people who travel between the U.S. and Mexico each year, that destination is just across the border.
But transportation is more than just moving people from point A to point B—it connects our populations to a world of possibilities, it opens doors and creates opportunities in our communities that otherwise would not be accessible. That’s why it’s essential we continue to invest our resources and our energy to ensure that we have the safest, most efficient and affordable transportation systems in place between our two countries.
So, how do we do that and what does it look like? Here at the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT), we’re making it a priority to figure that out.
In 2015 alone, more than 181 million people crossed into the U.S. from Mexico through one of the 25 U.S. Southern Border Land Ports of Entry (POE) and even more entered through air travel. That number will only continue to grow as both of our populations continue to grow, which means it’s our responsibility to build our transportation systems to not only to take people places, but design them in a way that transforms communities for the better. If we do that, these systems have the potential to improve the economies and environments of the communities along our border by creating more jobs, improving our bilateral relations and reducing the amount of greenhouse gas emissions in those areas.
This is why U.S. DOT has been working with the Mexican government and other various bilateral forums such as U.S.-Mexico High Level Economic Dialogue and the 21st Century Border Initiative to implement the use of intelligent transportation systems and bring into force the new U.S.-Mexico Air Transport Agreement. We are doing all of this in an effort to support our continued relationship with Mexico and make travel more accessible for our citizens.
But, in order to do that, we have to take an honest look at our current systems to determine what is working and what is not and develop practical solutions that fill the gap. It’s no secret that long wait times and traffic congestion plague our shared border. This is something that we have been investing a lot of time and research into fixing.
One thing we have seen is that the use of intelligent transportation technology, such as Bluetooth and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) systems, can significantly improve the accuracy of wait time information. In very broad terms, these innovative, forward-thinking systems use existing software and technology infrastructure to anonymously collect data from various enabled devices around border crossings to monitor traffic. They then share this data with drivers, various agencies, border patrol staff and online portals to help inform travel decisions.
For example, say you’re driving from California to Mexico through the busiest land POE in North America—San Ysidro, CA. With this system, you might receive a message along the way alerting you to long wait times at the port, which could help you better prepare for your trip and conversely allow the POE to make the necessary adjustments to efficiently handle the influx in traffic.
Currently, the U.S.-Mexico Joint Working Committee on Transportation Planning is reviewing the border wait time data and technology at number of U.S.-Mexico border crossings to determine how to better utilize the data to further facilitate travel in these areas. The goal is to one day have a system that is fully connected, information-rich and standardized across federal, state and local entities.
Another tool in our arsenal that is underway to help advance travel between the U.S. and Mexico is bring- ing the new U.S.-Mexico Air Transport Agreement into force. This agreement, which has been in the works between U.S. DOT, the U.S. Department of State, and the Mexican government for more than two years, aims to increase trade and travel with Mexico and is currently being entered into force. The significance of this agreement cannot be understated—not only will it benefit travelers, but it will also expand the market to more U.S. and Mexican airlines, businesses and airports for passenger and cargo airlines to fly between any city in Mexico and the U.S.
Recently, both countries have seen extreme interest from airlines, plainly demonstrating a demand for a modern agreement such as this. Ultimately, it removes barriers under the existing agreement, allowing for new destinations to be added which will mean lower prices for passengers and businesses and will, in turn, strengthen the commercial, economic and tourism relationship between our two countries. To support this effort and others like it, U.S. DOT is in the process of establishing the National Advisory Committee on Travel and Tourism Infrastructure that will provide recommendations to our secretary of transportation on how to improve tourism in the U.S. and other countries through transportation.
With technology changing faster than we can keep up with, and our populations on the rise, it’s more important than ever to develop ways to collaboratively share new ideas and develop policies that help us ensure our transportation systems are working for the people they serve by connecting them to the places, services and people that matter most.
The next generation of transportation needs to create pathways of opportunity for everyone and not limit how, when and where we travel. So, just looking at the steps we’ve already taken and the things we are working toward, I’m optimistic that the U.S. and Mexico are on the right path to making that a reality. I believe that together, we can shape the future of travel between our countries for the better.
