Locked gates on the Humber bridge, there has been 6 suicides in 5 weeks on the bridge

Locked gates on the Humber bridge, there has been 6 suicides in 5 weeks on the bridge

Started
1 April 2021
Petition to
Humber bridge and 2 others
Signatures: 328Next Goal: 500
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Why this petition matters

Started by Steph Mcgowan

The Humber bridge has been a hotspot for suicide, it has been open since 1981 and there have been over 200 suicides to date.
 However suicides from the bridge appear to be increasing, there will be many factors as to why, I believe as this bridge is the gateway to a large city and so easily accessible this enables people in distress to act upon their suicidal thoughts.
Lockdown  has affected us globally and no doubt has impacted on how people, especially the younger generation are coping with being so isolated from their friends, loved ones and socialising in general.  
We need to, as a community take action in our local area to prevent another family losing a loved one in this tragic way, there has been numerous ways suggested to make the bridge safer such as higher barriers, whilst this is possibly an ideal solution it is not practical as it would alter the structure of the bridge and the aerodynamics, I propose locked gates, this is a much more practical solution that would be much easier to implement. 

The gates would be closed to the general public between the hours of 22:00-06:00 to reduce the impulsiveness, it is evidenced that people in distress will act upon their thoughts late at night as they are less likely to be stopped, I realise there will be opposition to this but people who genuinely need to access the bridge late at night could apply for a pass or be able to gain access via an intercom.

This proposal would reduce those acting on impulse. In the last 5 weeks there has been 6 suicides with further non successful attempts, this in my opinion is 6 too many. We need to act to stop this happening, we as a community have a responsibility to keep our loved ones and those in distress safe. I also agree that there should be emergency telephones for people to use to be able to access crisis support. 
There is the need for support on the bridge this would ensure that people have human contact when they need it the most. 

Over this last weekend my sons girlfriend died by suicide on the bridge, this has devastated her family, my family and all of her friends, she had the rest of her life to live,  she was greatly loved and this may not have occurred if she did not have access to the bridge late at night.

I understand this may not address the root cause of the issues for people in distress  but if we can help I think we owe it to them

I hope that people can sign this petition to make this change.

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Signatures: 328Next Goal: 500
Support now
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