Police causing the maximum inconvenience, M4 closure Options

[tom1]

I began to wonder with all the trouble caused to untold numbers of people just how long were the police prepared to keep that motorway closed. Granted the man had suicidal tendencies ,but surely thought must be given to this type of situation before another occurrence, with resultant delays.

[Darren]

Solution?

[JeffG]

I don't see how they could have reopened the motorway before they got him off the bridge. It's not just the life of one individual at stake, but if he did jump and landed on or in front of a moving vehicle there could have been untold carnage.

Obviously, the man's life is important, but it goes much further than that.

[DrPepper]

Solution?

Get one of this big blow up bouncy castle type thingies - used quiet a lot is the USA - then push the fool off, job done in what 45 - 60 minutes. Plenty of time left then to shed a tear and the more worthy of us to rush to his aid and make him "normal"

As for the trains, fit them all with a cattle guard and just sweep all the jumpers up - easy.

[JeffG]

Well the Chinese jumper landed on an airbag. Presumably in this case if police approached from each end of the bridge so he was confined in the airbag area, it would be a viable solution. And if he saw jumping wasn't going to result in what he apparently wanted, he'd be more likely to give himself up on the bridge, anyway. Win win.

[Jayjay]

Have only just got round to reading this post and am saddened. The pro jumpers truly believe that their meeting or Tesco shopping trip was worth a man's life. These posters have probably taken the same amount of time out of their busy, 'me I am so terribly important', little lives to complain on this forum, that they took sitting in that traffic jam. I am truly saddened at what so called humanity is coming too.

[Strafin]

I don't think anyone is pro jumper, they are just questioning whether or not the HOURS of delay for thousands of people could have been prevented.

[spartacus]

It should be standard practise to smear thick layers of anti-burglar paint or axle grease on the ledges of all motorway overbridges. That way, if there is a potential jumper who decides to climb on board, they slip straight off for a quick trip to the pearly gates........ None of this hanging around and creating a scene nonsense.... If you're going to do it..Do It!

[Strafin]

OK maybe Spartacus is "pro jumping"!
What about thick sticky stuff that bonds them to the bridge so that they can't come off?

[Guest_NWNREADER_*]

Did anybody note the report of a person who jumped/fell off a bridge onto the M25 the other day. Carriageway closed for hours, if only for the mess to be cleared up.
Any 'pro-jumpers' ever dealt with the remains of a body after it has been struck by a vehicle/train?

[spartacus]

It's not purdee I'll grant you that.......

It helps if it's raining heavily so that the 'aftermath' gets washed away quicker. The days of the fire service turning up to all RTAs so that they were on hand to 'wash down' the area and sluice away the messy bits (those too small to put in bags) into the nearest drains afterwards, have long gone...

These days it's full body part recovery with all the painstaking H&S protective measures thrown in for the recovery crew. Body fluids aren't washed into drains. They spread absorbent materials down and shovel it into bags once it's done it's work.

[Iommi]

...that reminds me, I have that half eaten kebab in the fridge from last night!