Fire Gate city owned/unlocked by residents

We have fire gates (prevent traffic but allow fire or emergency vehicles through) going across two short roads and the roads proceed through another older small community to a main road. The gates will be removed by the city once a main road that leads up to our community entrance is expanded to the main road. The fire gate roads can not handle much traffic. First the gates were used as a parking area. That I could report to the police and the people parking there would get to leave with a parting gift (parking ticket.) But now a resident I believe from our side of the community has cut the lock on one gate and intermittently leaves the one side open so that they can reach the main road quicker (I am assuming.) I have plastic tie wrapped the gate shut (they cut it off), contacted the property management group, emailed the city, and called the police. I am assured that the city is aware of my concern with the problem. The problem has escalated now with vehicles driving rather quickly on that short (narrow) street and yesterday early morning (5:00 am) the one side of the gate was open, with a car parked in the road facing the wrong direction of traffic, as if that was a parking space (blocking the one lane entirely, while the other side of the gate is still across the other lane.) I am trying to document all my correspondence so that at no point the HOA is held responsible for any accident that might occur. Any suggestions on who to contact to rectify that the gates are either closed or removed, and has anyone been successful in convincing owners of a fire gate (city in this case) to keep the gates in place. I see fire gates existing at older condominium communities here.