The automobile park appears to be like shiny and new and has 172 bays… which sit empty more often than not
As automobile parks go, you would be stumped to seek out higher than this large one simply off Station Street within the village of Rogiet in southeast Wales. It is proper subsequent to a prepare station, is simply off the M4, has roomy bays, pristine tarmac and loads of areas.
Regardless of this, it has sat empty for years as no-one ever makes use of it. We first visited this automobile park a short time after it opened in 2023 and it appears as if it’s nonetheless as deathly quiet because it was again then, which is maybe why it nonetheless appears to be like so good.
There are 172 perfectly-paved bays, 10 electrical automobile charging factors (and house for 16 extra), broad lanes, and it looks as if it will be in a main location, near the M4 and main cities like Newport, Cardiff and Bristol in addition to a prepare station.
Whereas it could simply seem to be an empty automobile park that many would argue is a waste of cash, it sums up among the points confronted when attempting to get individuals out of their vehicles and onto public transport. For our free each day briefing on the most important points going through the nation, signal as much as the Wales Issues publication right here
Laura Anne Jones, Conservative MS for South Wales East mentioned: “Contemplating the appreciable quantity of funding that went into the brand new automobile park in Rogiet, it is a disgrace that it appears as if it is nonetheless infrequently used.”
Transferring an issue elsewhere?
The village of Rogiet in Monmouthshire is sandwiched between two motorways – the M4 to the south and the M48 to the north. You’ll assume that with two of the nation’s most main roads on most residents’ doorsteps that the village can be very-well related.
Nonetheless, to the west the M4 is likely one of the most congested stretches of motorway within the UK. That is due partly to the Brynglas Tunnels (which there are virtually at all times delays at) but additionally the way in which the motorway wildly weaves and has a number of junctions in fast succession, in addition to steep hills to decelerate lorries.
The M4 aid street was proposed to try to clear up this drawback however after hundreds of thousands have been spent creating the plans, the scheme was scrapped by Mark Drakeford citing, in precept, environmental issues because the aid street would have decimated the Gwent wetlands.
No matter you consider that call, there’s nonetheless a major problem to be solved – how do you scale back visitors congestion on the M4 spherical Newport? In spite of everything, there are tens of hundreds of individuals, lots of them youngsters, dwelling within the lethal air pollution created by that little bit of the motorway. And that is the place this fascinating little automobile park is available in.
It has been constructed near the prepare station at Severn Tunnel Junction, which is correct subsequent to Rogiet. The pondering is that if you will get individuals travelling west in the direction of Cardiff to go away the motorway earlier than the Brynglas chokepoint, park on the station, and get the prepare the remainder of the way in which, it should take lots of strain off the motorway.
Whereas this will seem to be an easy concept, it is not to these dwelling in Rogiet or Magor. The one strategy to get to that automobile park is thru the village of Rogiet.
To do that, first it’s important to drive down a closely built-up however slim Station Street. There are a number of crossings and a great deal of parked vehicles – to not point out that in rush hour there are a great deal of children heading to the first college simply off the street.
Subsequent, you drive over a slim bridge and go away your automobile within the deluxe automobile park.
However you then attain maybe the most important hurdle. As a result of, though you might be actually not more than 25m from the platform, you might be on the improper facet of the tracks.
You now need to stroll again over the bridge and down a slim, poorly-lit, single-file lane by some allotments to get to the station.
This may very well be set to vary, nonetheless, as a Monmouthshire County Council spokesperson mentioned the council had commissioned Community Rail to create plans for an accessible footbridge that may hyperlink the automobile park and the railway station platforms.
Even so, one other drawback arises if you lastly attain the platform. Numerous trains on the South Wales Mainline do not really cease at Severn Tunnel Junction and simply energy on by between Bristol and Newport. At occasions in the course of the day there are 45 minutes between trains (although this fluctuates over the course of the day).
So why is that this all an issue?
If you wish to take visitors off the M4 to make use of this station the visitors that was on the M4 is now going to be driving by Rogiet. These are among the points that the plan has for each individuals within the village and those that can be utilizing the railway:
- If the automobile park is full 172 extra vehicles shall be passing by this small village – many on the identical time. This simply transfers a part of the congestion to the individuals dwelling right here.
- There are already two automobile parks that cater for the station adjoining to the precise platform. If these are additionally full the visitors is more likely to effectively exceed the capability of the brand new automobile park.
- A whole bunch of individuals need to stroll down what is basically a rustic lane that may solely match one automobile at a time.
Locals have beforehand spoken of their issues about this elevated use. Sebastian McVicker-Orringe, vice-chair of Rogiet Neighborhood Council (RCC), raised these issues on behalf of RCC in the course of the planning course of for the automobile park. He mentioned that the proposal was “manifestly unsafe for pedestrians” resulting from the truth that “Station Street is already a hazard to pedestrians”.
However this brings us to what’s maybe the larger subject for the Welsh Authorities’s plans to get visitors off the M4 – the truth that no-one is definitely utilizing the automobile park. Regardless of the battle to get it constructed no-one appears overly eager to truly use it. There usually seems to simply be a handful of vehicles within the automobile park.
Folks appear to seek out it much less inconvenient to sit down in visitors than to get the prepare. Maybe the concept of winding your means by a congested village then strolling down a darkish slim lane to attend 40 minutes for a prepare that might presumably be cancelled is not interesting?
Now there could also be motivators within the coming years that may encourage extra individuals to make use of the station. For one factor, if Cardiff brings in a congestion cost it is perhaps sufficient of a monetary motivator to get individuals to park up earlier than the tunnels. As well as the South Wales Metro may assist as Severn Tunnel would be the first station on a line operating all the way in which to central Cardiff which may improve the frequency of companies from the station.
You’ll be able to learn extra about these new stations right here.
Whether or not you agreed with it or not the choice to cancel the aid street has left hundreds of individuals condemned to reside in smog for the foreseeable future. The Welsh Authorities’s plans to alleviate this may work however as of but the M4 stays gridlocked for big elements of most days. And even when it does work the individuals of Rogiet might discover their air significantly much less contemporary.
A Monmouthshire County Council spokesperson mentioned: “Monmouthshire County Council has commissioned Community Rail to progress the designs for setting up an accessible footbridge that may hyperlink the automobile park and the Severn Tunnel Junction Railway Station platforms. The designs and indicative costings needs to be accomplished by the top of the present monetary yr.
“We await the UK Authorities’s Infrastructure Plan, which ought to additional make clear the upgrades to the South East Wales Mainline, enabling elevated timetable frequencies and stopping companies at Severn Tunnel Junction. The works undertaken thus far and the proposed footbridge will make sure the infrastructure capability is in place to assist elevated demand for park and experience companies at this location.”
Talking beforehand to WalesOnline a Welsh Authorities spokeswoman mentioned: “We’re transferring ahead with the suggestions made by Lord Burns to enhance transport in southeast Wales, together with securing funding to finish the following stage of enhancing the South Wales Mainline and constructing new and improved stations on it. These enhancements are serving to to encourage extra individuals to make the change from automobile to rail however as with every change it will take time.”
