Motorists apparently aren't violating parking restrictions as often in downtown Cheyenne since the City went to a computerized enforcement system. City Special Projects Director Bob Bradshaw told the Cheyenne City Council Finance Committee Monday that revenues from parking tickets are down somewhere between $20,000 and $30,000 compared to this time last year.

The City's parking enforcement division implemented a new system last fall that features officers using handheld computers that print the ticket on-site. The officers also are able to mark tires electronically now, rather than with chalk as they used to do.

Bradshaw says previously motorists could evade a ticket by simply moving their car a few feet, while they now have to move to a different block face. Fewer tickets are being written because fewer people are staying past the parking limits. He says that's good for downtown Cheyenne, even if the city is getting less money from tickets.

Another likely reason for the decline is the severe winter weather, which has kept people out of the downtown area more often than last year.

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