Type of structure used frequently to commit suicide
This article is about bridges from which people commit suicide. For the novel, seeSuicide Bridge.
Asuicide bridge is abridge used frequently by people toend their lives, most typically by jumping off and into the water or ground below. A fall from the height of a tall bridge into water may be fatal, although some people have survived jumps from high bridges such as theGolden Gate Bridge.[1] However, significant injury or death is far from certain; numerous studies report minimally injured persons who died from drowning.[2]
To reach such locations, those with the intention of ending their lives must often walk long distances to reach the point where they finally decide to jump. For example, some individuals have traveled over the 4.46-mile-long (7.18 km)San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge by car in order to jump from the Golden Gate Bridge.[3]
Suicide prevention advocates believe that suicide by bridge is more likely to be impulsive than other means, and that barriers can have a significant effect on reducing the incidence of suicides by bridge.[4] One study showed that installing barriers on theDuke Ellington Bridge inWashington, D.C.—which has a high incidence of suicide[5]—did not cause an increase of suicides at the nearbyTaft Bridge.[6] A similar result was seen when barriers were erected on the popular suicide bridge theClifton Suspension Bridge, in the United Kingdom.[7] Families affected and groups that help the mentally ill have lobbied governments to erect similar barriers. One such barrier is theLuminous Veil on thePrince Edward Viaduct inToronto, Canada, once considered North America's second deadliest bridge, with over 400 jumps on record.[8]
Special telephones with connections tocrisis hotlines are sometimes installed on bridges.
Free telephones linked to suicide prevention hotline installed at the Story Bridge footpath in BrisbaneSuicide prevention barrier at the Story Bridge in Brisbane
Sydney Harbour Bridge has a suicide prevention barrier. In February 2009, following the murder of a four-year-old girl who was thrown off the bridge by her father, the first stage of a temporary suicide barrier was erected on Westgate Bridge, constructed of concrete crash barriers topped with a welded mesh fence. The permanent barrier has now been completed throughout the span of the bridge. The barriers are costed at AU$20 million and have been reported to have reduced suicide rates on the Westgate by 85%.[9]
Suicide prevention barriers were installed on the Story Bridge in 2013; a three-metre-high barrier runs the full length of both sides of the bridge.[10]
The Luminous Veil suicide barrier installed on Prince Edward Viaduct in Toronto
There are a number of suicide bridges in theMetro Vancouver area, the most frequented being theLions Gate Bridge, which saw 324 suicidal incidents, including 78 jumps from 2006 to 2017.[2]
TheHigh Level Bridge inEdmonton,Alberta, is considered a suicide bridge. It is unknown how many deaths have occurred at the bridge, but there have been at least 25 in total, with 10 being from 2012–2013. There have also been many failed attempts at the bridge. A suicide prevention barrier has been installed along with signage and support phone lines.[11]
TheJacques Cartier Bridge inMontreal,Quebec, is considered a suicide bridge. In 2004, a suicide prevention barrier was installed. Until then the bridge saw an average of 10 suicides a year.[12]
ThePrince Edward Viaduct, commonly referred to as the Bloor Viaduct, inToronto,Ontario, was considered a suicide bridge. With nearly 500 suicides by 2003, the Viaduct was ranked as the second most fatal standing structure in North America, after theGolden Gate Bridge inSan Francisco.[13] Suicides dropped to zero after a barrier was completed in 2003.
TheLethbridge Viaduct inLethbridge,Alberta, also known as the High Level Bridge, is considered a suicide bridge. It is unknown how many deaths have occurred at the bridge since its opening in 1909. Suicide prevention signage has been installed at the entrance to the bridge, however no further prevention program is in development.[14]
TheReversing Falls Bridge inSaint John,New Brunswick has had often use for those making suicide attempts. Efforts have been made by the city to install barriers, but they have struggled to secure provincial funds to do so.[16]
About 300 people have jumped to their death from theNusle Bridge, inPrague,Czech Republic.[18] Barriers almost 3 metres high were erected here in 1997 with the aim to prevent further jumps.[19] In 2007, the fencing was topped off with a 3-foot-wide strip (0.91 m) of polished metal to make it impossible to climb.[20]
TheSítenský most [cs] inKladno has also been described as a suicide bridge and "second Nusle". Between 2013 and 2018, 23 suicides were attempted there. Because it is only 15 metres (49 ft) from the ground, attempts are not always successful, however the bridge is easy to access and there is no suicide barrier.[21]
As a suicide prevention initiative, signs on theMapo Bridge display reassuring messages to potential suicide victims. The phrase on this particular handrail pictured reads: "The wind is really nice."
A frequently used suicide bridge inSeoul is theMapo Bridge,[25][26] locally known as "Suicide Bridge" and "The Bridge of Death".[27][28][29][30][31][32][33] South Korean authorities have tried to counter this by calling the bridge "The Bridge of Life" and posting reassuring messages on the ledges.[34]
TheClifton Suspension Bridge inBristol was designed byIsambard Kingdom Brunel and opened in 1864. Since then, it has gained a reputation as a suicide bridge, with over 500 deaths from jumping. It has plaques that advertise the telephone number ofSamaritans. In 1998, the bridge was fitted with suicide barriers, which halved the suicide rate in the years following. It lays over the River Avon.[35] CCTV is also installed on the bridge.
A notable suicide bridge inLondon is theHornsey Lane Bridge,[36] which passes over Archway Road and connects theHighgate andCrouch End areas. The bridge provides views of notable landmarks such asSt. Paul's Cathedral,The Gherkin andThe Shard. It was the venue for mental illness campaign groupMad Pride's inaugural vigil in 2000[37] and was the subject of Johnny Burke's 2006 filmThe Bridge.[38] When, at the end of 2010, three men in three weeks died by suicide from jumping from the bridge, a campaign was set up by local residents for better anti-suicide measures to be put in place.[39] In October 2015 Islington Council and Haringey Council approvedTransport for London's plans for the construction of a safety fence.[40] In summer 2019, Haringey Council installed additional measures to prevent suicide from the bridge in the form of a 3m high fence.[41]
At theHumber Bridge inHull, more than 200 incidents of people jumping or falling from the bridge have taken place since its opening in 1981. Between 1990 and February 2001 theHumber Rescue Team was called 64 times to deal with people falling or jumping off the bridge.
As asuicide prevention initiative, signs on theGolden Gate Bridge promote special telephones that connect to a crisis hotline, as well as a 24/7 crisis text line.
TheGolden Gate Bridge inSan Francisco has the second highest number of suicides in the world[43] (after theNanjing Yangtze River Bridge) with around 1,600 bodies having been recovered as of 2012, and the assumption of many more unconfirmed deaths.[44] In 2004,documentary filmmakerEric Steel set off controversy by revealing that he had tricked the bridge committee into allowing him to film the Golden Gate for months and had captured 23 suicides on film for his documentaryThe Bridge (2006). In March 2005, San Francisco supervisor Tom Ammiano proposed funding a study on erecting asuicide barrier on the bridge.[45][1] In June 2014, a suicide barrier was approved for the Golden Gate Bridge.[46] Barrier construction began in 2017 and was expected to be completed by 2021.[47]
InSeattle, Washington, more than 230 people have died by suicide from theGeorge Washington Memorial Bridge, making it the second deadliest suicide bridge in theUnited States.[48][49] In a span of a decade ending in January 2007, nearly 50 people jumped to their deaths, nine in 2006.[50][51] At a cost of $5,000,000, a suicide barrier was completed on February 16, 2011.
^"Special Screenings". Rio Cinema. April 2006. Retrieved2007-05-14.THE BRIDGE UK MiniDV 8mins 8 Director/Producer/Screenplay Johnny Burke There is a 100 year old woman, a serial killer, in North London. Her name is "Suicide Bridge". High above the Archway Road, throwing a heavy shadow over the passing traffic, she assists the tragic people who come for her help.
^"Hornsey Lane Bridge Anti-Suicide Campaign". Hornsey Lane Bridge Anti-Suicide Campaign. September 2011. Archived from the original on February 21, 2013. Retrieved9 October 2011.
