Stricter NEXUS Security Card Is Faster Ticket To Cross-Border Travel

By Doug Draper

If you happened to be one of the last Canadians or Americans to cross the Peace Bridge in the hours and days leading up to the terrorist attacks of September 9, 2001, chances are you crossed without having to produce so much as a driver’s license.

Photo courtesy of Peace Bridge Authority

Well, those days are certainly gone. A driver’s license will get you nowhere at any of our border crossings and a birth certificate will hardly get you through either.

One of the realities of this post 9/11 world is stricter security at what has long been regarded as one of the world’s most open and friendly borders, and nothing less than a passport will get you through.
The Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority (commonly known to people on both sides of the Niagara River as the Peace Bridge Authority) says getting a NEXUS pass is even better, and the number of people applying for those passes is growing at what remains the busiest crossing for cars and trucks between our two countries.

“The NEXUS program at the Peace Bridge continues to gain popularity while expediting the border crossing experience for our participating customers,” said the bridge authority’s chairman, Anthony Annunziata, in a recent media release. “With the addition of a second peak NEXUS lane for Canada-bound travelers and extended program hours following all Buffalo Sabres home games, the authority and our partners at customs are committed to getting the most out of this valuable, trusted traveler initiative.”

The NEXUS program, launched a decade ago, makes clearing the border faster for “low-risk, pre-approved travelers into Canada and the United States.  Membership saves travelers time by allowing the use of dedicated Customs inspection lanes at select border crossings – like the Peace Bridge – while complying with all border security, Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) requirements that went into effect June 1, 2009.

NEXUS traffic currently accounts for nearly 15 percent of the total passenger vehicle crossings at the Peace Bridge; a percentage that has steadily increased since program inception.

For more information on the NEXUS program visit http://www.peacebridge.com/NEXUS.

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