Colorado town votes to construct entrance gate amid traffic dispute with Denver, Littleton

Key Points:

• Bow Mar, Colorado, a small town with about 950 residents, is planning to install a controlled-access gate at one of its entrances to reduce heavy traffic from non-residents using local streets as shortcuts.
• A traffic study found approximately 1,200 vehicles pass through Bow Mar daily, mostly driven by outsiders, raising safety concerns for children, retirees, and seniors despite previous measures like speed bumps and reduced speed limits.
• The town's proposal to build gates at two main entrances and close a smaller one has faced opposition from Denver and Littleton officials, who argue it would disrupt traffic flow and restrict access to key roads.
• Following a recent incident involving a car found in Bowles Lake, Bow Mar's board of trustees unanimously approved moving forward with engineering plans, aiming to install the first gate by Thanksgiving with operation starting mid-January.
• Details on gate operation hours remain undecided, and the town plans to assess the impact of the initial gate before considering additional installations; accident data has not yet been provided by local police.