Johnson Street Bridge safety under review after 2 incidents with intoxicated pedestrians

The City of Victoria says it's reviewing safety on the Johnson Bridge, one of the main links into downtown Victoria, after an intoxicated man was found hanging from the bridge last week as it lifted for a passing barge.

Victoria police believe the manwent onto the bridgeFriday evening after thearm began to lift and clung to the railing.The man was uninjured when the bridge came back downand policetook him into custody.

It follows another incident in December last year when an intoxicated man tried to climb a railing on the same bridge and fell to his death.

City staff review the bridge's safety measuresafter any incident occurs, Fraser Work, the city's director of engineering and public works, told CBC'sOn The Island.

"Do we need to change the angles of the cameras? Do we need to add paint or another sign that says you could be prosecuted by crossing these safety barriers?" he said.

"We don't want to see copycats thinking that they can take these risks without consequences."

The city hasn't settled on any changes yet. But Work described an already-robust system of warning bells, lights and barriers, which activate minutes before the bridge goes up.

Operators, who manually operate the bridge gates, can see both ends of the bridge's pedestrians pathways throughclosed-circuit cameras, Work said.

Some pedestrians or cyclists linger on the bridge, Work said, and a feweven try to rush throughas the barricades come down.

"They're choosing to go because they don't want to be held back," he said. "I guess they're inconvenienced."

That canalso riskthe safety of the vessels travelling underneath, Work said, as bridge operators are forced to make risky emergency manoeuvres.

Listen to the full interview with City of Victoria's Fraser Work: