A proposal for a jump barrier to be erected at Van Stadens Bridge has been sent to the SA National Roads Agency Limited for consideration.
The proposal was developed by the concerned group, Friends of Van Stadens Bridge, which is hoping that Sanral will approve it for implemenation.
The organisation held its annual general meeting today where it took stock of the current year and set objectives for 2012.
Cliff Rose, the spokesperson for Friends of Van Stadens Bridge, says getting the anti-jump barrier proposal approved by Sanral will be one of they key objectives for 2012.
"Our main objective is to get the proposal for the anti-jump barrier approved by Sanral. I think that's going to be an obstacle on its own, and then we need to raise about a million rand to finance the installation of the barrier," Rose said.
He says the bridge is known world-wide as a suicide jump site, and his organisation wants to take that status away.
In its 40 year history 80 people have committed suicide by jumping off Van Stadens Bridge at an average of two a year.
Rose says this year alone, five people took their lives at the bridge, but he says another forty or so were talked out of it.
