Why is a smart motorway any less safe than if your coming up the A1 and breakdown in the lane?
If smart motorways aren’t safe due to there being no hard shoulder then we should also close all non motorway sections of the A1, A14, A19, and any other dual carriageway A road there is as they are 70mph running with nothing more than lay-bys if you break down.
I think it’s just the usual story of everyone likes to moan at change.