Colorado Suburb to Build Gate to Thwart Cut-Through Traffic

In a bid to keep nonresidents from cutting through its streets, the tiny town of Bow Mar, Colorado, is preparing to put up a gate. The community of 900 or so people, wedged between Denver and Littleton, this week unanimously approved hiring an engineering firm to design a controlled-access gate at one of its main entrances, which could be installed by Thanksgiving and activated in mid-January, reports CBS News. A traffic study found that roughly 1,200 vehicles pass through Bow Mar daily, most of them driven by people who don't live there. Town leaders say that volume endangers children and older residents, despite speed bumps, lower speed limits, and warning signage.

The New York Times notes that residents of Bow Mar will receive radio tags to ID their vehicles as OK to enter, while their guests can get a special key code when they visit; emergency vehicles would also be permitted to enter. Food delivery and other service drivers can also receive a code, per the Littleton Independent. Denver and Littleton officials argue that closing public streets could disrupt traffic patterns, and they've asked Bow Mar to hit pause and seek a more acceptable solution that everyone agrees to, per CBS, which notes that a vehicle recently found in a Bow Mar lake underscores residents' concerns about unsafe driving in their community.