I've been quite fascinated by this thread, as a non-driver and rather infrequent road user.
Smart Motorways are an interesting concept, and I'm all for it personally. My occasional coach trips normally take me on a motorway for at least part of the trip, and certainly do when I venture to London, and typing this post had me realise I actually travel more by coach than by rail these days. The trips earlier this year to Manchester, featuring part of the M6, took me through Smart Motorway operations.
I'm not convinced having no permanent hard shoulder is a good idea, but I also think it's fantastic to have Smart Motorways. I have unpleasant memories of multiple hours of delays on a Birmingham to Glasgow trip several years ago on the M6. So many miles of traffic backlogs...Bailing out at Preston and ripping out the magic plastic for a last minute single to Scotland on the train was a far more appealing idea!
Anyway, before I dive into more nostalgia, if Smart Motorways had been in operation back then being able to use the hard shoulder would certainly have helped! Keeping one of the busiest motorways in the country running smoothly is not an easy task at the best of times, anything that helps keep traffic moving is welcome.