Anti-suicide railings on the Golden Ears Bridge failed on Christmas Day
Posted January 2, 2010 9:08 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
RIDGE MEADOWS (NEWS1130) – The Golden Ears Bridge, which was built with anti-suicide railings, was closed for four hours on Christmas Day because of a potential jumper. A lot of thought went in to the design of the railings – they are inspired by fishing traps used by First Nations people.
While they look great are they serving their purpose? Ken Hardie with TransLink, which owns the bridge, thinks so. “It’s more a matter of trying to prevent the person acting on impulse, but somebody who has really planned something or who is absolutely determined will find a way, I don’t think there is a structure in the world that is totally proven to be target hardened against that kind of deliberation.”
So how did the man get through the railings, Sergeant Wall with the Ridge Meadows RCMP says officers were surprised to see the man had squeezed through the bars. “When members arrived he was able to put his body through the bars to get to the other side”. The Golden Ears Bridge is the first in the province to have anti-suicide railings installed.
