Claire Mercer, founder of Smart Motorways Kill, has launched an exhibition detailing thousands of messages of support for the end of Smart Motorways.
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00:00I'm here at Rotherham Titans Rugby Club in Rotherham where Claire Mercer, the
00:05founder of Smart Motorways Kill, has set up an exhibition detailing hundreds of
00:10messages of support to end smart motorways. How has it felt to receive all
00:15of this support? It's overwhelming in many ways because obviously I've been
00:21fighting this for five years because my husband was killed but I shouldn't have
00:25to fight. I shouldn't be the one translating leaflets explaining what a
00:29smart motorway is into ten different languages on behalf of the government
00:32when they killed my husband but they're not doing it so I have to and it does
00:37help to see all this support but then also this is telling their worries and
00:41what's happened to them and obviously I've got what I call the broken hearts
00:45group which is a small core group of people that we've all got to know each
00:48other. We either lost someone or been injured on smart motorways and it's
00:52unfortunately it's getting bigger and bigger because we've got newer and newer
00:56members. What do you think Jason would think looking down at you and seeing
01:00that you're pulling all of this together? I think he'd think I was absolutely mad
01:03but I think he'd expect it of me because my family taught me to fight for change
01:08and when I found out what a smart motorway was it's obvious it's not right
01:12and you've got to fight to change that and you never think it's gonna happen to
01:15you. You see it on the telly all the time but I saw them two have his vests through
01:19the door. I saw that there was two police on my doorstep and I couldn't get hold
01:23of my husband and I knew you know it doesn't it's not just on films and
01:28dramas it does happen to you and I can't believe that I'm here and that I'm doing
01:33this. I was a steel buyer I don't even drive I haven't got a license I've had
01:37to give up my job and now I can pout about motorways because this does happen
01:42to anyone it can happen to anyone this this is a motorway it's not it's not
01:47classist it doesn't just affect the poor like most things you know does
01:51disproportionately affect the poor so it can happen to everyone and you've got
01:55to fight for change and I think he would expect that of me and my family