A mental health crisis brought traffic on the Alex Fraser Bridge to a standstill for hours on Monday.
Delta police said the situation was made even worse by the behaviour of some commuters.
“Our officers made the decision to close the southbound lanes of the bridge to increase their effectiveness of what they were trying to achieve,” acting inspector James Sandberg of the Delta Police Department told Global News.
“Unfortunately, their attention was diverted many times through people approaching, people engaging the officers, people yelling at the subject that we’re there for. With cars going by, cars honk, drivers yell. We also see driver behaviour increase, like more risk-taking, more speed revving of engines. They’ll drive closer to the police cars and the police officers, and it’s just an unsafe situation. So they made the decision to close the bridge.”
This happened around noon Monday, after police received reports there was a man outside the safety rail.
However, police said the actions of several frustrated commuters made de-escalating the situation much more difficult.
Drivers were “rubber-necking” to get a view, honking horns, yelling at the individual in crisis, and even encouraging them to take action, police said in a release.
In addition, some people actually walked up the bridge deck, talked to the officers and even took photos and videos of the person in crisis.
Other drivers became so frustrated they tried to go around vehicles creating the road closure. At 6 p.m. a person hit a highway vehicle and a concrete barrier, causing several thousand dollars in damage, police said.
Just after 7 p.m., another driver ignored a flagger and drove around the barricades. This driver was found to be impaired and was issued a 90-day driving suspension along with a 30-day vehicle impound, police added.
The man on the bridge, who had been hanging on for nearly eight hours, climbed back over the rail to safety just before 8 p.m.
Police said he was provided with the medical attention he needed.
Sandberg said it is a complex decision to close down a major commuter route during rush hour and officers know it is frustrating for members of the public.
“With that increased frustration comes emotional decision-making,” he said. “And that’s why we saw what we saw on Monday with the interference with the driving behaviour. You know, it’s elevated because of the emotion that’s involved. We’re now affecting more people.”
Mental health experts said what happened on the Alex Fraser Bridge Monday is a reminder that at the heart of every mental health crisis is a person.
“You’ve got the police and the people who are trying to help that person live, send the message that people care, and then folks who are are honking their horns are inadvertently sending the message that their commute home is more important,” said Crisis Centre of BC executive director Stacy Ashton, who was one of the commuters on the bridge on Monday.
Sandberg said it was necessary for the bridge to be closed while talking to the man because the traffic noise, the wind noise, the thump of every tire can create a more stressful environment for the police and the individual who needs help.
“When our negotiators or our officers are negotiating with this person, they have to do it from a distance as they move closer,” he said. “What we see is the risk-taking behaviour on the part of the person increases. So now they’re ensuring that they’re keeping distance to reduce that anxiety, which means just to communicate with this person, they’re shouting to begin with.
“Unfortunately, when we made the decision to close the road, we didn’t know that it was going to be closed for as long as it was.”
Sandberg said despite what happened on the bridge Monday, they want drivers to know that the police’s number one priority is the preservation of life.
“I would hope that the public can understand and appreciate that, you know, that life is important,” he said. “We inconvenienced a lot of people and we’re aware of that. But our intention is to save that life. And I’m thankful that we did that day. I’m thankful that our officers and all the supporting agencies that were there that day to assist were able to achieve that positive outcome.”
Sandberg said he hopes that people recognize that mental illness is a part of mental health.
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“It’s not an individual issue. It’s a community issue. And we need to really adopt a mindset that helps each other. So get on the positive side of it and let’s start addressing it and resolving it and ending the stigma that’s associated to it.”
In a statement to Global News, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure said “the ministry has focused its suicide prevention efforts on our major bridges in the Lower Mainland that have high pedestrian traffic. Three-metre-high safety fencing has been installed on both sides of the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge, and similar fencing will be included on the Pattullo Bridge replacement.”
The Lions Gate, Alex Fraser and Port Mann bridges cannot accommodate the additional wind loading of tall safety fencing, the ministry explained.
“Changing the design of a cable-stayed bridge is complex, as any change in a bridge’s profile, such as a new fence, can influence how the bridge performs in wind.”
The ministry said tall safety fencing or similar barriers will be considered on all new major structures to be built in the Lower Mainland.
If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs help, resources are available. In case of an emergency, please call 911 for immediate help.
Crisis Services Canada’s toll-free helpline provides 24-7 support at 1-833-456-4566.
Kids Help Phone operates a toll-free helpline at 1-800-668-6868 with 24-7 support for young people as well as the Crisis Text Line, which can be reached by texting HOME to 686868.
The toll-free Hope for Wellness helpline provides 24-7 support for Indigenous Peoples at 1-855-242-3310. Online chat services are also available.
Trans Lifeline operates a toll-free peer support hotline for trans and questioning people at 1-877-330-6366.
For a directory of support services in your area, visit the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention at suicideprevention.ca.
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