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A Colorado town this week voted to install gates at its entrances in a bid to crack down on traffic passing through – but the move appears to have sparked a border war, with officials in nearby cities threatening to retaliate with a “nuclear option.”
Leaders in Bow Mar – a town of just 950 people – backed the idea after being stunned by the findings of a traffic study that revealed 1,200 vehicles were passing through the area daily, prompting them to act upon safety concerns flagged by residents.
Residents in Bow Mar, a town located 12 miles southeast of downtown Denver with properties averaging at $1.4 million, warned how the sheer volume of traffic posed a risk to kids playing outdoors and senior citizens, the New York Times reported.
Strategies such as a 20mph speed limit failed to deter out-of-town commuters from traveling through Bow Mar – a neighborhood that acts an alternative to drivers not wanting to navigate congestion between Denver and Littleton.
A plan to install gates at two of the town’s entrances and closing another entry point was touted over the summer – and there was a unanimous vote at a Monday council meeting.
The first gate could even be installed by Thanksgiving but it will not be in operation until January next year. It’s also unclear how the gate will be operated.
Bow Mar officials are convinced they’re acting on safety concerns and residents say the strategy isn’t motivated by a desire to seal off a community.
“I never wanted to live in a gated community,” Shane Fable, whose 12-year-old son was almost hit by a truck while he was changing a bike tire, told the Times. “It’s out of control.”
The truck smashed into a mailbox – and its driver was busted on a reckless driving charge and vehicular assault for driving while drunk.
Cops in the small town have issued more than 1,260 traffic tickets since the start of 2023 – half of which were for speeding offenses.
Officials in Littleton and Denver strongly believe the plan is counter-intuitive.
Furious Kevin Flynn, a Denver City councilman, has even speculated officials could retaliate – installing its own gate, something he has coined a “nuclear option,” according to the Denver Post.
“I think what they’re proposing is exacerbating our safety concerns by cutting off access to a public right of way to our residents,” Flynn told CBS.
“That’s not acceptable for us, for Bow Mar to be creating a significant traffic hazard for us in the course of resolving theirs.”
Kyle Schlachter, the Littleton mayor, and Mike Johnston, the Denver mayor, have even signed a joint letter calling on Bow Mar officials to pause their plans.
“Bow Mar undoubtedly expects its residents to have reasonable access to Denver and Littleton roads and rights-of-way,” the letter says.
“Denver and Littleton expect the same in turn.”
Schlachter claimed, “It’s hurtful when your neighbor says, ‘You’re not welcome in our community.'”