Dear LPG,

They have been warning us for about three years and most people have made their plans by now, but I will have written this message about a month ago, if LPG have posted it on the day, I have asked them to, and I am having a little difficulty with this whole situation. 

I know that I am one of quite a few Lewisham pensioners who, at least until today, have had a legal car and, like many oldies who still drive, my car is an oldie too.  There is something special about being able to get about even though I don’t travel very far these days.  I think that it is really good to be able to visit friends and get to the shops myself in spite of my walking issues.  Over the past few years, I have become a bit of a taxi service for some of my friends who don’t drive anymore and that also helps me to feel useful.

The powers that be have not made it easy though as the costs of keeping the oldest of cars continue to go up.   Insurance and car tax keep rising not to mention the cost of parking it outside my home and the three yearly licence renewal tests continually keep our brains ticking over before we talk about the fact that driving regularly must be one of those activities that help to keep us focused.   I have a son who has helped me to keep my little old car on the road.   That is how he refers to her (my car has risen from an ‘it’ to a ‘her’ in my estimation) but to me she is an old friend whose other name is ‘Freedom’.  The problem is that she is old and while I can just about afford her I will not be able to afford the £15.00 she is going to cost me every time I want to move her after today.

So now she has to go.  I have never sold a car and I cannot say that I have worried too much about what she looks like over the years.  She also has a few little issues which won’t help either, but I hope that by the time this is read she will have become a bargain-buy for some person who lives beyond the M25.  I suspect that my boy will have sorted me a new(er) old set of four wheels which I have no doubt I will get used to in the end but for now I am quite sad.

I fully understand why the decision has been made although I think that three years’ notice was never going to be enough for some people, and I know that the government never really worry too much about how we will be affected, but that does not really help.  As sad as I am about the whole situation, I know that I will get over it, but I worry about all the pensioners who will not be able to replace their older cars; those who will be forced into another form of virtual lockdown.

So, I would just ask those that will still be able to afford to drive after today, to keep an eye out for all those who won’t?

GP, Penge.

LPG has found some relevant ‘better late than never’ information…

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