Posts Tagged ‘prius’
Thursday, December 3rd, 2009
This man, recently seen on Franklin Street, has sworn he will never drive his Mazda 626 LX-V6 more than 60 MPH. Why? Cause he’s a part of the Pledge 60 Movement. Check out the sign that he printed at home (or at work, let’s hope, considering the cost of replacement printer ink, “starter cartridge” don’t get me started):
“I pledge 60 MPH max to save U.S. gas $“
Fair enough. Not sure how this would work on the nascent Trans-Texas Corridor where they’ll have an 85mph limit, or for that matter Montana where teen-aged girls on narrow highways will pass you in their tiny three-cylinder cars going 90+, but oh well.
Click to expand
The Sierra Club has/had a similar campaign – “I Can Drive 55 (or whatever the limit is).”
Pledgers should keep to the right (avoiding those carpool lane-stickered Toyota Priuseses going 80+ on the I-80) and they’ll be fine.
Pledge on.
(These kinds of pledges probably will have a higher success rate than those chastity pledges that don’t seem to work.)
Tags: , 55, 60, 626, 65, 75, 80, 85, bumper, climate change, franklin, gallon, gas, gasoline, global warming, I pledge 60 MPH, I pledge 60 MPH max to save U.S. gas $, limit, mazda, movement, mph, pledge, Pledge 60, pledge 60 MPH, prius, San Francisco, save, sierra club, speed, sticker, street, swear, toyota, Trans-Texas Corridor, yellow
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Wednesday, November 18th, 2009
No, not you. You’re a peach, you average-or-better Toyota Prius driver in San Francisco. The problem is all the thousands of other drivers of Priuseses in town. You know, the left 40% of the bell curve.
What’s the deal with you all? You drive as if you’re the only people on Earth. So, if there are a lot of streetlamps on at night, don’t bother turning on your headlights cause how does it benefit you, right? And if you want to cross town, just drive through the Sunset Tunnel – no hills and no red lights! And if you want to park, just do it the way you feel, you dig? You’re entitled.
As here, where a hastily parked Prius turns busy Stockton Street into a slolom course. I mean, its rear is more in the traffic lane than not. But for a bad San Francisco Prius driver, that’s a parking job well done, now let’s find that Starbucks:
Click to expand
Now don’t be talking about confirmation bias. Oh no. Just check it out for yourself, on the streets.
So, Volvo drivers are the ones who don’t know that you’re thereand Prius drivers are the ones who know that you’re there, but they just don’t care.
(And someday somebody will explain to me how the EPA mileage estimates are lower for the 2010 model than they were for the 2004 model, even though the roomier 2010 model is better in many ways and, in real life, gets better fuel economy. Did somebody mislead us about fuel economy, back in the day?)
All right Prius driver, enjoy your rolling triggerfish, but try remember that you’re not the only person in the world.
Glub glub.
Tags: bad, electric, gas, gasoline, grand hyatt, hotel, hybrid, parking, prius, San Francisco, stockton, street, strike, sutter, toyota, tunnel
Posted in cars | 3 Comments »
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009
Remember this scene from last year, when the Google Maps car got pulled over in San Francisco’s Presidio?
Click to expand:
Courtesy of damianspain of the San Francisco Bay area. Thanks Damian!
Turns out that the Googler got ticketed, but not for a moving violation. Apparently, Google didn’t feel the need to secure a permit to photograph this National Park for commercial purposes, even after discussing the issue with the Presidio Trust. So, somebody called the federales and Google got an expensive citation.
Rich Google can afford to plant 800 pound “pins” all over town for the promotion of Google’s My Favorite Places, but it can’t see its way to clear to get a necessary permit to operate on federal land? Mmmm.
Now, go here to see the hot pursuit by this United States Park Police Officer. Scroll around and keep clicking- you’ll see the whole chase all the way up Montgomery Street.
Pull over, Google! The feds want to chat:
“I’m in Hot Pursuit! Choo choo! Kik-kik-kyah, I love it! I love it!” Or kyew kyew, either way.
But if Google can afford $7000 Japanese toilets for all its bathroom stalls, then it can probably afford the occasional citation.
Keep up the good work, Googoo!
Tags: bust, busted, california, car, citation, commercial, federal, google, hybrid, mapping, maps, my favorite places, national, park, permit, piolice, police, presidio, prius, pulled over, red, ticket, toyota, trust, United States, use
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Sunday, February 22nd, 2009
Hey Volvo drivers of the Bay Area – what’s the deal? Why are some of you the way you are? For a description of the problem, let’s hear from famous writer Jon Carroll on the topic of le Vølvö:
“It bullies, it meanders, it stops in the middle of the street so its occupant can have a long conversation with someone standing on the sidewalk. I have done my best to provide loving correction; I have been met only with denial.”
That’s a fair beef, and so are these. In fact, some in the U.K. actually want authorities to prosecute Volvo drivers.
Here’s a typical example – the driver here in Laurel Heights slowly intrudes into the crosswalk and then tentatively creeps forward past two red lights into cross traffic. Hello-ooo! The S40 (S60, S80?) can be seen here backing up in order to let southbound traffic through:
Click to expand.
Now of course, lately, Toyota Prius hybrid drivers have been going to great lengths to keep up with the bottom quintile of Volvo drivers. With these Priuseses around town, if they’re not provoking others, they’re getting Denver booted, and when they’re not getting pulled over, they’re being used for remedial driving lessons.
So yes, some Prius drivers have issues (specifically driving around at night with the lights off, no daytime running lights, no nothing, why Prius, why?) but Volvo drivers take the cake, because they keep coming up with new ways of disappointing you.
Like entering MUNI train tunnels and then driving along like there’s nothing wrong. There’s no video of that incident available but it must have looked something like this.
So, read Jon Carroll’s columns above for nuance and then come to the conclusion that, on the streets of the San Francisco Bay Area, the refrain of motorists, cyclists and pedestrians alike is:
“It’s always a Volvo” (unless it’s a Prius).
Bank on it.
Tags: bad, bay area, cars, drivers, horrible, hybrid, It's always a Volvo, prius, s40, s60, s80, San Francisco, terrible, toyota, tunnel, volvo
Posted in cars | 3 Comments »
Friday, January 30th, 2009
This sedate, efficient Toyota Prius looks a bit of a joke what with the 60’s style single off-center racing stripe, as intended by the owner, no doubt.
Get one for yourself if you want. A 2009 model can be had for a couple thousand off of MSRP these days (thanks to the $1000 rebate), and the 2010 models will be coming out soon as well. Zoom zoom.
As seen on the streets of San Francisco.
Tags: 2009, 2010, 60's, offset, prius, racing stripe, San Francisco, style, toyota
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Friday, December 5th, 2008
These days, you must have seen Toyota Prius hybrid taxicabs and Prius hybrid Google Map cars all over town. And you’ve probably seen hybrid limousines that are large powerful sedans.
But now, add to that list of hybrids this small black Toyota Prius limousine from PLANETTRAN (888 756-876) complete with California Transportation Charter Party License number (0020961) and LIVERY license plates.
Click to expand.
It’s new, it’s you.
Tags: 0020961, 20961, limo, limousine, planettran, prius, San Francisco, tcp, toyota, transpiortation charter party
Posted in cars | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, November 19th, 2008
Just call (415) 485-1238 to sign up, according to the ad that occludes the rear view of anyone driving this Toyota Prius.
The first lesson for Prius drivers in the Bay Area is how to turn the headlights on at night. An amazing number of drivers of these cars just don’t seem to be aware that their lights aren’t on. No headlights, daytime running lights, turn signals, tailights – no nothing except the brake lights occasionally.
Click to expand:
All you can do is yell “headlights!” when they drive past.
Tags: headlights, hybrid, hybrid driving lessons, off, on, prius, San Francisco, toyota
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Monday, June 16th, 2008
The Presidio of San Francisco, on the northern waterfront to the left of the newly upscale Ghirardelli Square, hasn’t seen this much action since they filmed The Presidio, starring Sean Connery. It appears that a mounted member of the United States Park Police briefly detained a Google Maps camera car for some sort of driving infraction this morning. Oh noes! Don’t impede this car – it’s gone to some interesting places. It’s not scary at all, right?
So the photo below shows how the magic of Google Street View happens – you can see their method all laid out. In this case, Google is using a brand-spanking-new Toyota Prius gas-electric hybrid (wouldn’t a 50-state VW Jetta TDI diesel get better mileage?) and a rather tall metal mast with mad cameras, GPSes and SICK laser range finders. Click to expand:
Courtesy of damianspain of the San Francisco Bay area. Thanks Damian! Check out his flickrstream for lots of great shots of San Francisco, including a rare blue sky at the North Beach Festival.
(Normally, the Presidio is a quiet place, except for people feuding over the location of the new CAMP museum and the occasional coyote attack. And Hooverball - the kids these days make all sorts of noise throwing their old school medicine balls around.)
Keep up the good work, Google Street View drivers. Just make sure to watch out for The Man (as well as all those sexy pedestrians trying to catch your attention).
[Update: National Park Service employee and Commenter #67 Motorcop_2000 disputes any account that has the Googler getting a ticket. MC_2K indicates that this driver merely got lost and was trying to get "back to the Avenues" (meaning the Richmond or the Sunset districts). Bad driving and Toyota Priuseses seem to go together, so this story rings true.]
Tags: california, google, hybrid, infraction, maps, motocycle, motorcycle, park police, police, presidio, prius, routine stop, San Francisco, street view, streetview, ticket, toyota, United States
Posted in cars | 76 Comments »
Saturday, May 24th, 2008
Generally speaking, that is.
Back in the day, old boxy 200-series Volvos had the rep of having drivers that had issues. But these days, it seems the worst motorists on the roads are caged-up in Toyota Priuses. Why’s that?
Could it be that the primary reason most owners bought is that the purchase “makes a statement” about them?
Getting the “what’s a matter you?” Italian-style hand gesture from a perturbed pedestrian on South Van Ness in San Francisco. The driver was blocking a crosswalk for a good 45 seconds while paying attention to something in his right hand. Note body damage from a prior allision.
Another Prius driver recently caused a stir in town by driving through the streetcar-only Sunset Tunnel and getting stuck for a few hours.
Things have gotten so bad that some people keep an eye out just for these particular hybrids.
Keep a look out and stay safe out there.
Tags: 200 series, accidents, auto, bad, car, carpool, crosswalk, drivers, electric, gas, hybrid, Jon Carroll, mission, motorists, pay attention, prius, priuses, San Francisco, south van ness, toyota, volvos, worst
Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, April 15th, 2008
It seems the ecotage movement is now going after the Toyota Prius hybird in Northern California. No longer satisifed with attacking gasoline-powered SUV’s and pickups [yes Silverado pickups, sometimes Wiki is wrong], eco-griefers must now be turning their sights to the greenhouse-polluting Prius.
Why else would folks be stalking these popular hybrid cars? The people behind these attacks probably drive 100% electric cars like the Tesla Roadster.
Be on the lookout for vandals in all-electric cars or golf carts. They could be coming after your hybrid.
Beware!
Sometimes, when a mob gets going after one thing, it turns and attacks another thing. Funny how that works.
- “In America, they came first for the SUV’s, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t an SUV owner;
- And then they came for the pickups, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a pickup owner;
- And then . . . they came for my Prius . . . And by that time there was no one left to speak up.”
Tags: ecotage, petaluma, pickup, pickups, prius, suv, suvs, toyota, vandalism, vandals
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