THIS VAN CAN

Dougie freshening up

Following my open letter to the Mayor, which involved logging in to twitter - a rare occasion since it became X - I received a cheque from TFL, which they said was a refund of all my ULEZ payments (it was closer to half), I haven't managed to get a reply about their maths yet. No apology or explanation either and another letter about the scrappage scheme that doesn’t acknowledge any of this.  A cheque also arrived from Marston returning the ransom I paid to release Dougie from the pound, before he was auctioned. That included the money I paid before he was taken from the roadside, without any acknowledgement of that or any letter of explanation at all - not one word.

The Government and Social Care Ombudsman was disappointing, apparently they investigated and decided that my bank card didn't work, it wasn't TFL's side. However they only spoke to TFL from what I can gather, so it will be interesting to see if the Financial Ombudsman thinks it was the bank's side too - in which case - why has the bank told me so definitely not, including putting it in writing?

Meanwhile, I’ve gone shopping for a larger van - get me out of here!. Test driving a ULEZ compliant van on a sunny country lane, I was told the technology that makes it ULEZ compliant was turned off, as it messes with the engine and causes endless repairs. Apparently many local people who make short journeys do this as they also encounter problems.

At first I was definite I needed a ULEZ compliant van so as not to have to deal with TFL any more, however, it’s such a flawed system, with some wonderful vehicles being forced into early retirement, that I decided against it and went for a gorgeous older one that will be better for the environment, by not contributing to this forced increase in consumption of vehicles. And it was my faveroute.

The Guardian Journalist who had been helping a bit, no longer wants to write about ULEZ, her colleague decided to take it on but then vanished, so I might write the whole thing up once it is completed and case closed. I’ll probably write that from the new old van.

Dougie, well he’s had a wash, a service and MOT and will be looking for a new home later this week. Most reliable vehicle I’ve ever encountered, I hope he gets someone who will take him on adventures. Maybe even convert him to a microcamper. He’d be good at that. A chapter must close for a new one to begin.

To be clear, I am all for clean air and reduced emissions, but not these ridiculous, exploitative systems.

Dougie in Albania, being an unconverted campervan