City 12-5-17
As part of Cheyenne Mayor Marian Orr’s overall plan to restructure various departments within the city, the Parking Transition Team has examined the management of the parking permits system and overall parking management within downtown Cheyenne.
As a result, the City of Cheyenne is assessing possible upgrades to city parking. Through surveys and interviews from the Cheyenne Police Department’s Operation Change Program, many residents indicated that the Jack R. Spiker parking structure was an area of concern for them (located between Lincolnway and 17th Street & between Carey Avenue and Pioneer Avenue). Along with increased police patrols through the Spiker structure, the city implemented better lighting, signage regarding garage use, and better securing the restrooms. These efforts together resulted in the number of alcohol offenses occurring in the parking garage going from 51 in 2016 to 18 so far, this year. As noted, at the beginning of Operation Change, the actual crime rate at the location was already rather low, but these efforts to improve the garage have further reduced the crime there. The city is now exploring how to maintain this momentum and continue to improve the parking experience in Cheyenne.
The City of Cheyenne is considering new technologies and processes which could be implemented at parking structures as well as for on-street parking. These suggestions were first proposed in the 2016 Cheyenne Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Parking Study. Future changes will look to improve the experience for the user, improve operational efficiency and will likely use technology to do so. Through technology, Cheyenne can become a more efficient city.