Funding Found for Suicide Barrier

Ugly and not worth the money.

>>>The proposed money swap begins with the transfer of $1.89 million in currently unavailable State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) funds from the Ellwood/Hollister project into the reserve of the Highway 101 widening project.<<<

What do they mean, "currently unavailable"? Does this mean that there's a chance that the highway widening project just lost $1.89 million?

Good call, SBCAG. Unanimous too... Indy really likes McGinnes; so much of his viewpoint presented, so little of opposing viewpoints. Words like `convoluted' and `shell game' used to describe the situation... Indy, please bury your bias a little better.

Do you guys remember this story, when CalTrans told us they *already* had funding for this project?

http://www.independent.com/news/2008/aug...

People were worried that CalTrans was lying, and would eventually come after local transportation money to finish their barrier. And guess what ...

Well this is a dumb deal. Have local, state and federal governments not learned that you can't take from Peter to pay Paul. If a project doesn't have the cash the don't spend it. We as a state and a local area are in enough financial trouble.

So one person on average a year jumps. If you really want to die that bad let them. I am sick of everyone trying to be uber PC. Suicide is not looked on as a bad thing in many societies. Why is it that we have to worry about it so much? Costs money to keep some one alive that doesn't want to be. Let that person be.

Cut services that assist the vulnerable,the youth, the elderly, the needy, the frail and build a barrier to protect people bent on self destruction? No sense to this.

"Do you guys remember this story, when CalTrans told us they *already* had funding for this project?"
-Kratatoa

I'm not sure the Indy's reporting makes clear what the central funding issue is. Is it that the monies are there, but there are some timing issues on when they're available? Is this why swapping is going on? I'm confused. Some simple declarative sentences to set the scene before diving into details would have helped.

Also, who is Marc McGinnes? This article and the referenced article don't say much about him. Is he a private citizen? Or does he represent an organization?

The old story I linked was about how the California Transportation Commission was threatening to take away the state money for the suicide barrier because it wasn't a transportation project. Back then Caltrans insisted that "funding was secure" for the project.

However, a couple of months ago the CTC did withdraw funding for the barrier, just like they threatened. So, Caltrans is "borrowing" federal stimulus money from the County to fund the barrier, and has promised to pay it back if/when they get money from another state source. If that currently frozen money doesn't come through, the County is out $1.5 million.

The timing issue is that the stimulus money must be spent by a certain date. I think many people would prefer that if the deadline to spend that money is approaching that SBCAG divert it to another local transportation project, rather than make up the funding shortfall for a state project and possibly not be paid back.

Marc McGinnes is a local environmental lawyer and an outspoken critic of the suicide barrier project.

Again less common sense than we need. I sure hope and pray Doreen Farr does not get reelected. We can thank her for the silly barrier. Again..."Bridges do not kill people....."

Give us back the $1.89 million.

Common sense is to put a barrier around a high place where people could jump or fall from.

common sense would tell one not to walk where there is a high place you could fall from.

Most high places have no human traffic. Thousands of people go over the Cold Springs bridge every day. An obvious place for a barrier.

Yeah, thousands go over the bridge -- IN THEIR CARS.

Genius.

Yes, genius, thousands of people see the high, unprotected place from their cars each day. It's an advertisement for `Caltrans invites you to jump here.'

Common sense says: build a barrier. The science is very strong: this will save lives.

Just as the tobacco industry still says (particularly in third world countries) that the evidence is not conclusive that smoking kills, barrier opponents still say the evidence is not conclusive that a barrier saves lives.

Per year cost of the barrier? About $100,000. Per year spending by the County on all mental health issues? About $40,000,000.

common sense: build the barrier.

So, not only are sevendolphins and snugspout the same person, but we now have confirmation that this person is also WINBILLS on EdHat. Note the cut and paste of the tobacco comment (comment #3):

http://www.edhat.com/site/tidbit.cfm?id=...

You should really mix up your message board spam more.

Wrong, Kratatoa. Additionally, Randy Campbell requested you to cease your range war:

http://www.independent.com/news/2009/jan...

http://www.independent.com/users/randy/c...

No problem, Mr. Campbell. I don't think the exchange above is excessive. I also think there is a difference between attacking a poster, and making false accusations about their identity, and stating relatively impersonal opinions supported by facts.

I also think the article your newspaper posted was remarkably tilted toward the anti-barrier view. Fine; you own it and have a free press. But if you provide this forum to comment, I'll use it, to point out your bias.

But in the end, who cares. I think you only want eyeballs, and Kratatoas' inaccurate comments are not sticks nor stones.

You know those who are suicidal and aganist this project are just going to see this as a challenge. They are either going to climb, or bring bolt cutters..Whatever it takes your not going to take Cold Springs Bridge away from the hardworking, tax paying, suicidal reisdents of this county...I'm wondering if there's going to be a guarantee with this project. If someone jumps from this bridge after the project is finished is the money going back into the pot? Or is someone going to come up with another hair brainned idea that costs more money?

For the sake of keeping on track--and so that the thread doesn't get shut down-(as it did last time) we should keep the discussion on topic. It doesn't matter who blogs under what name, what matters is the ideas themselves.

The one argument I can think of in favor of the barrier is that it may spare someone from *seeing* a person committ suicide, but if someone is so determined as go all the way to Cold Springs Bridge to kill themselves, then they will probably do the deed elsewhere.

I have two friends (a couple) who witnessed a Cold Springs Suicide (I think it was the last one that occurred) and they were pretty freaked out by it so that mitigates to some extent my formerly 100% opposition to this proposal.

Nothing else to say really, but I just wanted to add an angle that doesn't seem to get discussed.

I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together.

I call for unity, and so do we.