So sorry to the person I cut off turning left onto Winchester from
Margarita last week. I didn’t catch on there are now two left-hand turn lanes, and I
swung wide. They have those driving classes for older drivers to help them adjust; I need
a class for old Temecula drivers to help me adjust. All the traffic changes have made me a
hazard.
As I approach my fourteenth year here, which in Temecula time years
makes me a senior citizen, I’ve got to get with it. To paraphrase Bob Dylan, my old
road is rapidly agin’ -- and I better get out of the new one before I hit someone! --
for the times they are a-changin’.
For instance, coming down Rancho California Road to make a right
turn onto Ynez, there used to be traffic markers leading you into the Target center
parking lot by Claim Jumper, so you couldn’t pull into the right lane to make a right
turn, until you had passed those. Well, they are gone now and if you don’t get in the
right turn lane before that last driveway, you can’t. The right turn lane backs up
past that. Sorry car that was behind me when I came to that abrupt realization the other
day.
I don’t often get on the freeway at Rancho California Road
coming from the west, so I am not used to the new right hand entries for both 15 north and
15 south there. After working my way all the way to the left recently, to turn onto 15
north, I suddenly made a jog back across for the convenient, traffic saving entrance on
the right. Luckily it wasn’t rush hour.
Speaking of rush hour on Rancho California Road, to alleviate the
long back up of cars trying to exit the southbound 15, there are now two exit lanes. That
is great, I remembered that. Unfortunately, and I’m sorry again to the person I came
close to, I thought it was that way at the Winchester exit too, and I cruised right up to
the peel off before realizing I needed to be over one more lane.
Just a tip for those of you waiting in the long line of cars on
Ynez, turning left onto Winchester. Those who are heading toward the 15 north entrance
back way up on that turn, thinking they need to be in the far right hand lane to get on
the freeway. You don’t! There are two entrance lanes there! Try it, you’ll like
it.
Sometimes, just all the changes leave me confused. The other day I
came out of the mall heading toward a friend’s house in Meadowview. I thought I had
to turn left to get on General Kearny Road, but it turned out I was ON General Kearny
Road. Another quick switch, but I made it.
I’m learning. Like a mouse in a maze, I’m more alert, and
determined not to keep hitting my head against the same wall. Meanwhile, happy fourteenth
birthday McDonald’s on Jefferson Avenue, the one I used to turn right to get to, at
the only stoplight in town.