MONTREAL – Travellers should expect some lengthy delays at Canada – U.S. border crossings this holiday weekend as line-ups are anticipated to be very long in both directions.
Law enforcement officials from Quebec, Ontario, Vermont, New York and others are teaming up in a public awareness campaign called “Safety Without Borders,” a initiative to remind travelers to obey the rules of the road on both sides of the border.
That means there will be a lot more state troopers and provincial police officers patrolling the highways on both sides of the border than usual.
“A lot of times we see the speeds picking up and going too high,” said Lieutenant Garry Scott of Vermont State Police.
“We want to remind them to pay attention to the speed limit.”
Sûreté du Québec officers say speeding, texting, drunk driving and not buckling up are the leading causes of death on the highways.
They are encouraging motorists to obey the laws and use common sense this Easter weekend.
More than 20 million visits to the U.S. are projected to be made at port of entries this year alone.
That’s down slightly from 23 million in previous years.
The Canadian dollar is trading slightly lower than previous years could be partly to blame.
Eighty percent of visits are same day or are overnight travelers doing cross border shopping.
“There’s definitely a lot of Canadians coming to the U.S.,” said Trooper Jennifer Fleishman of the New York State Police.
This is the fourth year the “Safety Without Borders” initiative has taken place.
It will continue for the entire summer traveling season, which authorities anticipate will be very busy.
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