The pristine, £90K car park built right next to M4 that has never been used
The public has never used the car park and it has remained mostly empty since it opened - despite the huge cost.
A pristine car park in Wales has remained unused for years despite its prime location next to a train station and ample space.
The £90k parking lot is located just off Station Road in the village of Rogiet in southeast Wales and boasts immaculate tarmac, 172 perfectly paved bays, 10 electric vehicle charging points and spotless lines.
But over 12 months since its inauguration, the huge Monmouthshire car park remains mostly unused.
Nestled between the M4 to the south and the M48 to the north, in Monmouthshire, lie the quaint village of Rogiet and the bustling town of Caldicot.
With Bristol, Cardiff, and Newport all within a stone's throw and two motorways practically on their doorstep, one would assume these residents are among the most well-connected in Wales.
However, the western stretch of the M4 is notorious for being one of the UK's most congested motorways.
This is largely due to the infamous Brynglas Tunnels, but also the erratic weaving of the motorway, its numerous junctions in quick succession, and steep hills that slow down lorries.
The car park was designed to help curb congestion as commuters heading to Cardiff would be able to exit the motorway before reaching the Brynglas bottleneck, park at the station and take the train for the remainder of their journey.
But the location of the car park, and the route to access it, have caused a major headache to residents and motorists alike.
To get to the car park, drivers must navigate through the village. This involves driving down the densely populated yet narrow Station Road, which is lined with parked cars and multiple crossings.
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And once commuters do manage to get within no more than 25m from the train platform, they face an additional challenge as they are on the wrong side of the tracks.
They must then walk back over a bridge and down a dimly lit, narrow lane next to some allotments to reach the station.
To add insult to injury, many trains on the South Wales Mainline don't stop at Severn Tunnel Junction, instead continuing straight through between Bristol and Newport.
At certain times of the day, there can be up to 45 minutes between trains (although this varies throughout the day).
The complicated transit arrangements have resulted in commuters completely bypassing the car park.
Instead, they seem to have found sitting in traffic less inconvenient than navigating through a congested village and waiting for a potentially cancelled train.
