Canada/USA Border Crossings

 

1/05 Update: I've uploaded all of the Canada/US crossings. I've moved the corresponding US POE into the title to make more room for the hours of service (some of them are lengthy!). Over the next couple of days, I'll break this file up into individual provinces, and then create the file with a US orientation (US POE in the title first with corresponding Canadian POE), and then break that file up into individual states. Comments are welcome!

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I wrote to Miss POI and she suggested I throw my questions to the group to solicit advice.

I live in Vermont and travel to Montreal often because that's where I'm from, still have family there, and my daughter attends university there. I have several choices of where to cross the border into Quebec. Sooooo.... I went to the Canadian Border Services Agency website (www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca) and retrieved the Quebec crossing station information... station by station. A typical entry looks like this:

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/contact/listing/offices/office753...

The information I've chosen to pull and assemble into a POI file is the station name, the corresponding US Port Of Entry (POE), whether or not there's a duty free (priorities!!! lol...), and the hours of service. From this information, I can assemble a corresponding US file by state, however I have no guarantee that the hours of service are the same. From my experience, when there is a duty free on one side of a crossing, there's one on the other side too... dunno if I should just take that for granted or not.

The coordinates I've used are not the station coordinates, but the coordinates of the actual crossing, tediously compiled by Google Mapping one or other of the Canadian or US POEs and finding the road that crosses the border. Do you think that's a good idea? In some cases, the actual station is well in advance of the border itself (although I have to imagine there are signs everywhere).

So... before I go ahead and do this for the rest of the provinces, and then derive the US file(s), I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts.

The file I uploaded is here:

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/8877

Thanks
Geoff

duty free

phydx2 wrote:

From my experience, when there is a duty free on one side of a crossing, there's one on the other side too... dunno if I should just take that for granted or not.

Don't assume that there is a duty free going into Canada. Went up to Montreal through the NY border crossing via I-87 2 weeks ago. There was no duty free on the way to Montreal, but there was 1 on the way back. I figured that the Canadian gov't is pretty strict with regards to bringing cigarettes and alcohol into their country, 'coz that's the first thing that the agent asked.

--
nuvi 2460LMT

Which NY Crossing?

I'll make a note about it. Of the five that I've used, there's either been one on each side, or none on either side, but apparently that's not always the case smile

It's not so much that they are strict, there are rules about how much you're allowed to take into the country depending on how long you've been away. Pretty sure it's the same coming back into the USA. Alcohol and tobacco are the two big things they look for the most, but there are also rules about retail purchases also.

Thanks!
Geoff

I like tagging the actual crossing

I prefer the way you did it where you tagged the crossing point (the road) vs. the border station.

Next time I drive up that way, I will need to buy the Canadian maps for my nüvi 200 since it only has USA maps, but I will definitely be putting your file in there as well.

Thanks,
PT

--
Garmin nüvi 200 (my first GPS), 780, & 3700 Series. And a Mac user.

Update...

Updated... see first post.

Geoff

Thanks

This looks like a great addition. I know it will help me when I go back to visit the family.

--
Garmin Nuvi 350, Garmin Nüvi 200 (stolen), Magellan Roadmate 5405LM and Garmin Nüvi 50LM.

Duty free at top of I-87

Just found this...

Sortie 43/Exit 43 - US 9 SOUTH
Destination: Champlain
Food Services - N/A
Lodging Services - N/A
Gas Services - N/A
Other Services - Duty Free Shop
*** EXIT 43 - LAST EXIT IN USA ***
Note: After this exit... it's Canada

http://www.geocities.com/rickh25al/i87exit.htm

So, in this case, there is a duty free on each side.

Geoff