Marco Island’s Jolley Bridge is busy during Easter week 2024
Cars cross Jolley Bridge onto Marco Island at 9 a.m. on March 28, 2024.
As another tourist and snowbird season thunders toward its finish, Marco Island residents and City Council members again are talking about traffic concerns and parking needs.
Marco City Council is sending ideas by Councilman Rich Blonna to city staff to research and return with specifics and proposals.
Like some island residents, some city council members say traffic needs to be addressed and can be improved with public transportation and that more parking is needed. And like other island residents, some council members say trolleys and buses, water taxis and parking garages will lead to more visitors, diminishing the quality of life of current homeowners and voters.
These topics have come up before – many times over the years. Councilman Rich Blonna says it’s time to take action for the future and that by doing so, it will improve everyone’s quality of life. He presented a white paper to council members March 18 titled “Beyond the Trolley: A Comprehensive Approach to Managing Traffic, Growth, Density, and Parking Concerns.”
“As a City Council, we cannot look back and wish this development away. Our job is to welcome our new residents and ensure that their quality of life is the best it can be,” Blonna said.
Water taxis, trolleys, parking structures up for discussion
In his paper and presentation, Blonna suggested the allowance of parking structures in all commercial zones, water taxis and trolley service through Collier Area Transit with a route that circulates the island.
Blonna, suggested a trolley pilot program, a continuous bus route, water taxies and incentives for developers to build parking garages as a way to get cars off the road and help everyone on the island find parking when shopping, eating, beach going and working.
Collier Area Transit, known as CAT, offers service to Marco Island from Immokolee with stops along County Road 951 and service along 951 between Physician’s Region and Marco Island South Beach access. Blonna would like to see a trolley or bus that circulates around Marco Island taking people to restaurants, shops and the beach.
“You put 20 people on a small bus, it’s going to take 10 cars off the road,” Blonna said in an interview.
More places for people to park
Although parking is allowed in all commercial zones on Marco Island, Blonna wants parking structures allowed as well, with some possible incentives to encourage developers to build them and some perks for locals who use them. There are a few parking structures on the island – at The Esplanade, several condo complexes along the beach and one approved for construction at the private Turtle Lot on Collier Boulevard.
“There’s 10,000 cars that come over the bridge in the first two hours of the day,” Council Vice Chairman Erik Brechnitz said, without citing a source for the figure. “There’s just a tremendous number of people coming onto this island.”
Blonna said he thinks the traffic is caused mostly by residents.
“I really believe Marco Island has a seasonal and an annual parking problem. That our traffic congestion, I believe, is due mostly to us,” Blonna said. “There are more of us around than there were 15 years ago. We get on the road and we go out to breakfast, we get on the road we go out to lunch and then we get on the road and go out for happy hour and the younger folks get on the road and go out drinking at night. There’s a constant flow of cars four times a day, not to mention when schools are in and are getting picked up and dropped off.”
“It’s your opinion. The math just doesn’t work,” Brechnitz said.
“I don’t really care whether it’s a resident or a visitor or a worker, I just know that it’s a lot of traffic,” said resident Linda Scherzinger. “I am interested in more parking and I’m interested in reducing traffic.”
“Wouldn’t it be great if I could hop on a trolley to take my visitors to Tigertail or South Beach,” said Fiona Winter who lives in Olde Marco, where there is no bus service or beach access. “Marco Island is a top 10 tourist destination. Tourism is here to stay.”
Councilwoman Becky Irwin agreed with Blonna that infrastructure and public transportation should be a priority.
There are some really good ideas, good ideas to brought back,” she said. “I think people really ought to spend some time and think about what we’re proposing. The island has changed in the last five years even. Even since 2020, the island’s changed a lot.”
Irwin said residents seem to be afraid.
“Infrastructure shouldn’t be threatening to allow people to circulate in their own town in a safe and efficient manner,” she said. “I’m very much for, very much in favor of having a circulating trolley, bus, call it whatever you want from the county. Why wouldn’t we want to make transportation easier for our residents?”
Brechnitz said it won’t be for residents.
“If you build a number of multi-level parking garages and increase the amount of parking, I promise you it will bring more tourists,” he said.
That’s why Marco Island was built, Chairman Jared Grifoni said, pointing out that the 2040 Comprehensive Plan approved in 2020 includes as a goal to facilitate transportation choices to residents and tourists.
Specifically, it reads: “The plan facilitates a variety of transportation choices to residents and tourists through multiple modes, including walking, cycling, low-speed vehicles and transit as attractive alternatives to driving and by providing alternative routes that disperse, rather than concentrate traffic congestion.”
“That’s fine, but if you poll residents and voters, they aren’t interested in more parking for visitors to the island,” Brechnitz said.
“People are coming here folks,” Irwin said. “I mean you aren’t going to stop people from coming to Marco Island by not having a trolley. People are coming here. … It’s about how do we manage them and how do we act responsibly as leaders in this community?”
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