US-Canada border

DRICkery, trickery! Legislators in Michigan have unearthed emails and documents suggesting that Michigan state officials have engaged in trickery in their attempts to advance the controversial DRIC (Detroit River International Crossing) a proposed third truck-route crossing between western Ontario and eastern Michigan.

The first half of the year saw 3.38m trucks at the eleven toll crossings between the US and Canada v 2.88m in the first half of 2009 (21009H1), a 17.4% rise.  Those are average daily traffic of 18.5k 2010H1 v 15.8k 2009H1.

The Detroit area crossings saw the biggest rise. Ambassador Bridge truck traffic is 2010H1 was 1.35m v 1.07m 2009H1, an average daily 7.37k v 5.87k, a 26% rise half year on half year. (But this 7.37k is still well below 2006H1, which was 9.9k average daily truck traffic.)

Total traffic at US-Canada toll border crossings in the first three months of the year is up a feeble 1.4% to 7.45m vs 7.35m Jan-Mar 2009. Public Border Operators Association (PBOA) statistics issued last Friday - these cover the eleven toll crossings of Ontario with New York and Michigan - showed a March uptick of 4% over March 2009. Back in 2006 Jan-Mar traffic was 9.48m.

September traffic at the US-Canadian toll crossings continued to be weak at 2,947k this year v 3169k in 2008-09  - a 7% drop - and 3473k in 2007-09. This September was down 16.7% on the 3537k of 2006-09.  The high value, high toll trucks are down more than cars this September being 10.3% fewer at 565k v 630k last September. Cars are off 6.2% at 2364k v 2520k last Sept.

Canada-US tolled border crossings saw traffic of 2.69m in March 2009 down 9.8% on the 2.99m of 2008Mar. February was down 12.4%, January 16.2%, Dec 11.0%, November 15.4%, October 11.3%, September 8.7%, August 4.0%... The 9.8% is therefore a slightly lesser decline month-on-same-month a year back than we've seen since September 2008, but certainly no sign of recovery. 

US-Canadian toll crossing traffic was 16.2% lower in January than the previous corresponding period (pcp) or Jan 2008 - 2.31m vs 2.76m. This follows December numbers 11% down. Truck traffic, the highest yielding category, is down the most - 443k trucks Jan 09 vs 636k Jan 08, 30.4% down. 

November traffic at the US-Canadian border around the Great Lakes and St Lawrence is down strongly according to data on eleven major crossings collected by the Public Border Operators Association (PBOA) - from 3.28m 2007-11 to 2.77m 2008-11, a decline of 15.4%. The decline has been gaining in recent months. The month-on-same-month-last year (MOSMLY) declines have been Aug 4.0%, Sept 8.7%, Oct 11.3%, Nov 15.4%.