[gadaboutgal]

Who do you expect to intimidate with gates? The criminals who are going to find a way in anyway? They are a nuisance and a waste of money. Ever have to stick your hand out the window to punch a button in the rain?
And as for slowing vehicles down. Just how long do you think it takes to speed up once through the gate?
But back to the why of the new laws regarding the gates; I think a reasonable explanation is that most gates that impede traffic on a public road are found at train crossings. Ever see someone foolish enough to go round the end of the bar to cross over the tracks? Many, many accidents are caused this way. Therefore, we now have a generic law mandating the length of the bar-probably to keep the impatient ones from getting killed.