This is one of those “can-you-believe-this?” things from California. In Santa Barbara County, north of Los Angeles, there is a magnificent arch bridge in the mountains, the Cold Spring Canyon bridge. It spans a deep gorge. It is widely admired and often photographed. Unfortunately, like the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, it has an unfortunate appeal to people who want to commit suicide and go out in style. Since the bridge opened, 47 people have jumped off it to their death.
So the California Department of Transportation decided to do something about it and save these poor wretches from themselves (and here you thought that good ol’ CalTrans was heartless). To that end CalTrans decided to install a 9-foot suicide barrier along the sides of the bridge. But guess what? The Los Angeles Times (Steve Chawkins, Santa Barbara: Suit Filed to Block Suicide Barriers, July 25, 2009, at p. A13) reports that environmentalists have filed a lawsuit to bar CalTrans from constructing the barrier. They argue — are you ready? — that the barriers will be ineffective because they will “merely” — got that? — force people bent on committing suicide to kill themselves elsewhere.
The plaintiffs are evidently unconcerned with the negative impact on the environment, caused by all those bodies going splat! below the bridge, just as long as you don’t interfere with their aesthetic pleasure of enjoying their “view shed,” as they are wont to call it.
Only in California!