Suicide prevention barriers on High Level Bridge vandalized 2nd time
Travis McEwan | CBC News | Posted: March 15, 2017 10:49 PM | Last Updated: March 15, 2017
'The vandalism is obviously disappointing'
The suicide-prevention barriers on the High Level Bridge have been vandalized for the second time.
Sometime in the last few days, culprits slashed a temporary mesh covers an opening left by previous vandalism.
Back in February, somebody used a bolt cutter to slice six half-inch cables near the middle of the bridge.
"The vandalism is obviously disappointing," said Allan Bartman, general supervisor for the city's integrated infrastructure service department.
"We're just essentially doing the temporary repairs to keep the integrity of the safety fencing that was put up."
A bouquet of flowers and a wooden cross hang on the damaged portion of the barrier.
As the cable strands takes months to manufacture, the city doesn't expect to repair the damage until the end of April.
The barriers, approved by city council after urging from family members whose loved ones had jumped from the bridge, were completed last year.
Cyclists and pedestrians were quick to point out that the barriers narrowed dramatically the shared-use pathway.
In August, four human-shaped figures were hung along the bridge's barriers. They were removed by the city, but their origin remains a mystery.