Sunday, August 28, 2016
Historical preservation = murder
Spokane-News reports another jumper on the Monroe bridge. Some commenters note that Monroe doesn't have a cage while Maple does.
One says that a cage is impossible because Monroe Bridge is "historical". If that's true, it's vile and obnoxious. We're killing people for Esthetic Purity.
Another responds that adding protection to Monroe won't help: "If a bridge is wanted, a bridge will be found."
Sounds good but doesn't work. Maple and Monroe are the only HIGH bridges. The drop is about 100 feet, more to rocks than water. Nearly guaranteed death. Maple was caged about 20 years ago, and nobody has successfully jumped from Maple since then.
Howard, Post, Division, Trent, etc, are all ABOVE the falls, with a drop of 20 feet. Could kill but probably wouldn't. Comparable to the upper diving board on a swimming pool.
Later thought, an odd exception. There's an uncaged pedestrian bridge just east of Monroe which is close to the falls, equally dangerous. It's specifically designed to let you feel precarious, and to splash you when the falls are roaring. This bridge DOESN'T draw jumpers for some reason. Not enough drama? Not enough chance of getting the police to help you? Those considerations probably wouldn't be conscious but might be present.
¶ 3:23 AM 
