Smart motorways breach human right not to be killed by the state, MPs told telegraph.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from telegraph.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Sat 22 May 2021 07.00 EDT
Claire Mercer doesnât drive. She has always been anxious about it. âI have tried to learn, but Iâm just too nervous,â says Mercer, a 44-year-old construction buyer from Rotherham. For years her husband, Jason, drove her everywhere. A broad-chested contract manager, Jason was a perfect match for Claire: they both enjoyed death metal, had numerous tattoos and piercings, and even dyed their hair the same shade of red. But their hard edges belied quiet lives. Both had struggled with their mental health and found refuge in each other, Jasonâs lively optimism softening Claireâs anxiety. They had been together for 13 happy years. They were planning to get a dog.
Highways England boss snubs smart motorway widow
Nick Harris cancels meeting with Claire Mercer, whose husband was killed in a live lane on the M1, after taking ‘legal advice’
Claire Mercer said she was deeply upset after the meeting was cancelled
Credit: Danny Lawson /PA
A smart motorways widow who agreed to meet Highways England’s boss to discuss road safety has said she is appalled that he cancelled at the eleventh hour after taking legal advice .
Nick Harris, the newly appointed acting chief executive of the Government-owned transport company, wrote to Claire Mercer saying he wanted to meet face to face to convey his sincere condolences after her husband was killed on the M1 after being stranded in a live lane where the hard shoulder had been scrapped.
Sefton MPs attack Highways England cover-up culture over Rimrose Valley road plans
Bill Esterson and Peter Dowd says emails from Highways England showed arrogance and an insidious cover-up culture
00:01, 28 APR 2021
Updated
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Two Sefton MPs have attacked an “insidious cover-up culture” at Highways England in an ongoing row about plans to build a dual carriageway through Rimrose Valley Country Park.