New barrier fence going up on George Washington Bridge. (Tappan: rent, Home Depot)
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I guess my opinion is why wasn't there one already? I always wondered that.
Wind-loading.
A fence, even though it might be mesh, acts like a giant sail and catches the wind, which could affect the performance of the bridge/cause problems with the deck and endanger the drivers in their cars on the bridge. Not a great tradeoff to potentially kill a bunch of innocent drivers to save one or two suicides.
Have you ever gotten out of your car and stood on the GWB or any other high bridge and felt how much it moves in the wind on a normal day? Imagine a high wind slamming into a mile-long, nine-foot high fence and what that might do to the performance of the bridge.
There's a demand for some type of suicide-prevention fence on bridges all across the country. Engineers have been working to develop something that will stand up to wind-loading with the right type of materials and design, but if it was that simple, it would already be in place. The mesh has to be small enough to not allow people to give their fingers and toes a hold so they can climb it and yet let the wind pass through. Meanwhile, some bridge authorities, such as with the Golden Gate, have put nets under the bridge to catch jumpers.
They still give NYPD the trouble of having to go to the bridge. Whatever happened to running the car in the garage with a garden hose to the exhaust pipe, or a whole bottle of Tylenol? Do it in your own house.
The trouble with Tylenol is that it doesn't kill you right away. It damages your liver, but it can take days before you begin to feel the effects.
I think they should be free to jump off the bridge because jumping in front of trains and jumping out of windows onto the street is a danger to others,traumatizes witnesses and creates major inconvenience for other subway riders.Jumping off a bridge is much more considerate of others.
Those bridge jumpers force the port authority to shut down all of I-95 and backs up traffic for miles in the Bronx and Jersey. Those ungrateful a**holes who aren't happy should just find a car to turn on in a garage somewhere
How stupid.
I guess then ALL bridges will need fences. All high rises will need their windows sealed above the third floor. Cruise ships will have to be wrapped in chicken wire and, of course, all subways will be closed.
Do all bureaucrats need proof of a frontal lobotomy before they are hired?
How stupid.
I guess then ALL bridges will need fences. All high rises will need their windows sealed above the third floor. Cruise ships will have to be wrapped in chicken wire and, of course, all subways will be closed.
Do all bureaucrats need proof of a frontal lobotomy before they are hired?
I think the stats probably back up a special case for the GWB as a suicide perp's target. On top of that, these jerks cause major major traffic problems every week and for that reason alone this is a good idea
Believe me, someone throwing himself in front of the #6 train causes a LOT more trouble than needing to tow a car off the GWB. Worst case scenario...one lane is blocked. It would probably take aseveral suicides a day for a year to equal the chaos of Chrisie ordering a few traffic cones be politically placed.
Any guesses how much traffic will be snarled while they put up a couple miles of fencing on the bridge? Fences don't fall from heaven.
But since PATH can set any fares it likes and enjoys a steady waterfall of money, I guess time and money are no object to stupid ideas, and stupid this one is.
Believe me, someone throwing himself in front of the #6 train causes a LOT more trouble than needing to tow a car off the GWB. Worst case scenario...one lane is blocked. It would probably take aseveral suicides a day for a year to equal the chaos of Chrisie ordering a few traffic cones be politically placed.
Any guesses how much traffic will be snarled while they put up a couple miles of fencing on the bridge? Fences don't fall from heaven.
But since PATH can set any fares it likes and enjoys a steady waterfall of money, I guess time and money are no object to stupid ideas, and stupid this one is.
You mean PA, not PATH. PATH is a corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the PA, and it loses money. The fares don't cover the electric bill, let alone the salaries and equipment.
Your governor and mine set the PA tolls so that they have lots of money to dip into for their state pet projects. Well, actually they do this by having the Board members set the fares, but they appointed the Board members and the Board does what Albany and Trenton say to do. My governor's getting looked at right now for being just a tad too greedy about this. Your governor's being very quiet about the whole thing so they don't look at him.
We get the NJ Transit suicides all the time, and yes, train suicides create more havoc than bridge jumpers do. I've been on a train that someone used to commit suicide. It backed up the entire line and we were stuck sitting there for hours. The engineer has to get debriefed and take time off because you can't stop a jillion-ton train in time to avoid killing the idiot who sits on or steps onto the track just ahead and so he or she gets to watch them ground into little pieces.
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