As I headed up the hill for home this past Friday, it was a little later than usual. I had found a really good haul out of Los Angeles delivering straight through, same-day, so I worked a little later than most other Friday afternoons. The “get out of town” traffic where I live can be horrendous on a Friday night, so it is rare you have me heading for home anytime after around 2pm. As I headed up the Cajon Pass on I-15, the gridlock was in full swing, loaded with vehicles headed out of town to Las Vegas and the Colorado River boating destination of Lake Havasu. Taking the new truck bypass lane in Devore should have meant less traffic on the steep grade to allow my truck to ascend a little easier, but boy was I ever wrong with that assumption.
The newly completed truck bypass for the I-15/I-215 split in Devore, CA is usually a nice route for my truck to begin the climb up Cajon Pass on my way home. That late in the afternoon though, it seemed as though a few of the four wheelers tried to use it as a shortcut of their own. Even though the sign you see when entering says “trucks/vehicles 3-axles or more”, never underestimate the impatient four-wheelers out there and their inability to adhere to proper highway signage! I wonder if they would like it very much if trucks started to jump into their “diamond lane” meant for carpools, even with two or more passengers onboard? The philosophy of “whatever gets me there faster” while I “take care of my cell phone activities” for four-wheelers is becoming increasingly dangerous on the crowded highways lately.
Whether they didn’t see the signs, were lost in the new highway transition, or just plain didn’t care and went into the truck lanes anyway, you kind of have to wonder what was going through their minds. The fact that there are actually more four-wheelers in this still cam-shot than trucks in the “truck bypass”, lends itself to a double-standard that can un-nerve even the most level-headed of drivers. Be careful out there while they slide up the middle and try to use the truck lanes as their own personal shortcut. Others may not be looking out for you, but be sure you are looking out for them where they are not supposed to be!