What are smart motorways?

[twoblacklines]

I mean, seriously? The only difference I have noticed between smart motorways that require the motorway to be shut and 50mph limits strictly enforced for ~10 year period is that they can "smartly" limit the speed and put limit-changing cameras at every gantry?

So all that inconvienience and all those speeding fines add up so that the goverment can fine more people for speeding?

Seriously has anyone noticed any traffic advantage? Every time I go up north, I get stuck in traffic in the same places before there were Smart motorways only now you get 20 miles of 50mph limits 2 seperate times (M6, M5) including at night closing the whole road totally (got detoured through Cannock the other day).

Smart...