$1 Million “Suicide Barriers” on Santa Barbara Bridge
by Judd WileyMay 7th, 2008, 6:04 pm
Caltrans plans to spend $1 million to suicide-proof the Cold Spring Arch Bridge on California 154, which links coastal Santa Barbara County to the Santa Ynez Valley.
The $1 million will pay for 6-foot-high safety barriers on top of the existing 30-inch-high concrete railing.
Why? Since 1964, forty-four people have jumped off the Cold Spring Arch Bridge and plunged to their grisly deaths in the wooded ravine 220 feet below. The most recent suicide occurred this February, when a 60-year-old man left his car running and vaulted over the thigh-high railing.
According to Dr. Lisa Firestone, a suicide specialist at a Santa Barbara mental health organization, barriers deter people who are considering suicide.
A barrier is a clear stop sign that states, “This is not a solution. We care about you.”
A few questions:
Are we talking about a deterrent or a “stop sign” here?
If we’re talking about a deterrent, where’s the evidence that it will actually work? Where’s the data analysis proving that 6-foot-high safety barriers actually deter people from jumping off bridges? Why wouldn’t they simply climb over the barriers, pick other bridges, or find other ways to kill themselves?
If we’re talking about a “stop sign,” what makes Caltrans think a suicidal nutcase will recognize it as such? Wouldn’t it be better to put up a real stop sign (which would also cost much less)?
Why does Caltrans peg the total cost at the suspiciously round figure of $1 million? Who honestly believes that this little project won’t cost three times as much by the time the 6-foot-high safety barriers are all in place?
Who thinks that 44 suicides over 44 years is a high rate of suicide? Who thinks that the theoretical chance of preventing one suicide per year on Cold Spring Arch Bridge is worth $1 million in taxpayer dollars?
Posted in Bridges, Spending |
