Thank you for signing our petition to add safety/suicide prevention barriers to Rhode Island's unprotected bridges.

Important Note: All donations requested by Change.org are paid directly to Change.org and do NOT directly benefit RI Bridging the Gap.

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The time is now! Take the means for suicide away!

"We don't want to lose anymore people to these bridges."

It is time to say enough! No more suicides from Jamestown-Verrazzano, Claiborne Pell, Mt. Hope and Sakonnet River Bridges.

Join RI Bridging the Gap in support of legislation sponsored by RI Legislators Sen. Lou DiPalma and Rep. Joe Solomon to install physical barriers on our unprotected bridges.

Let our Congressional Delegation, Governor, the Senate President, the Speaker of the House, our legislators, the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, the RI Health Department and the citizens of our state know that you care and support this cause!

Do barriers work? Yes!

• According to information reported by the Army Corp of Engineers, managers of the Cape Cod Canal and the Bourne and Sagamore Bridges stated that during a 28-year period after the fencing was installed, between 1984 and 2012, a total of 7 persons died by suicide from the bridges. "A far lower rate of incidence than what was recorded for the years before the fencing was installed as part of the major rehabilitation project started in 1979.”

From 2013 – April 2021, the Army Corp is aware of “two attempts that were prevented thanks to the quick actions of state and local law enforcement officers. The presence of fencing may not only deter attempts from occurring, it can also delay an attempt long enough to give law enforcement a chance to successfully respond to an incident when one does occur. “ (Note: This is not conclusive information as reports may have gone to state or local police.)

In RI, from 2009-2019, we know of at least 45 deaths from our bridges and from  November 2020  to November 2021 we are aware of at least 12 persons lost from the bridges.

BUTLER HOSPITAL, a leading Mental Health facility in Rhode Island, supports the installation of safety/suicide prevention barriers as an effective measure of preventing suicides and falls from bridges.  Butler stated "Study after study has shown that bridge barriers save lives! Putting safety measures on bridges is an effective public health initiative to prevent suicides in RI. Safety barriers have been proven to save lives. Suicides and falls from bridges are something that we can prevent.”

Kudos to the Bourne/Sagamore Bridges, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Tampa Skyway, the Natchez Bridge, and bridge protectors around the world for installing barriers! We need them here!

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