Worcester, cars, and money

According to today's paper, Worcester's population has increased by 3,352 since 2000, "yet in the past three years, the number of vehicles registered here has dropped by roughly 7,000." Probably this is because people aren't registering their vehicles, or registering them elsewhere. But is it possible that people are driving less? Could part of the drop be because of that? Is it silly to even suggest it? More from the article:

City officials are also a bit concerned, because the decline in registered vehicles could reduce the city’s revenue from motor vehicle excise taxes. Already, those collections are $300,000 off last year’s pace, according to city officials. That, in turn, could negatively impact the overall municipal budget because excise tax collections are a key revenue component.

If the City had the chance to make a decision that would result in people driving less, could the City afford to make that decision?