From the Roadshow archives: The Prius Party of 2011, featuring Steve Wozniak and plenty of yellow stickers

Editor’s note: Mr. Roadshow wanted to share some of his favorite columns and stories from more than 30 years of informing, entertaining and getting things changed for Bay Area (and beyond) drivers. He’ll be back on the road with new material soon. In the meantime, please keep sending Mr. Roadshow your comments or questions to mrroadshow@bayareanewsgroup.com.

This story originally was published on June 26, 2011

There was no crying at Roadshow’s Prius Party on Sunday, where a couple of hundred people gathered in the Mercury News parking lot. From throughout the South Bay to as far away as Folsom, they came to peel off their yellow carpool stickers to mark the end of one of the freeway’s most divisive perks:

This Friday, we’re getting booted for good out of California’s carpool lanes.

Actually, a tear or two was shed. Mine was the first.

“You ready?” said a gleeful Dennis Cole of Gilroy, who three years ago said he desperately wanted to remove the stickers from my Prius and would donate $50 to the charity of my choosing for the privilege of doing so.

“This is a sad, hard day, folks,” I countered through a bullhorn as Cole got a heat gun and peeled off all four of my yellow stickers.

We’ve known that this day was coming. Six years ago, in an effort to fuel sales of hybrid cars and wean us from our gas-guzzling ways, the state issued carpool stickers to drivers of the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic and Honda Insight hybrids. But the privilege expires July 1.

So, so long to driving solo in the carpool lane on San Tomas Expressway as I do every night on my way home. So long to using the Highway 85 to 101 carpool lane to Redwood City as I do frequently. So long to blissfully zipping past the turtle lanes where thousands creep along in Bay Area traffic each day.

Such sadness. So we had to party.

Steve Wozniak drove up in his huge Hummer, while his wife, Janet, followed in their Prius — both with stickers (more about that later). Martha Denning came down from Folsom in her Honda Civic hybrid. John Potosky of San Jose, who 10 years ago bought just the third Prius sold in Silicon Valley, stopped simply to chat — and sample Mrs. Roadshow’s marvelous biscotti.

She gave out about 500 free biscotti until Tesla exhibitor Steve Uhlir had a great idea. Leave a cup for …

Source:: East Bay – Entertainment