if i only knew...

If you are familiar with

If you are familiar with Budapest, you know that it has lots of bridges... 9 exactly. One of these is the perfect venue for suicidal people to go and try to jump. It's a beautiful bridge, painted a lovely green color, with a beautifully curved metal structure. It's very easy to climb up all the way to the top, it's essentially just a walk up a ramp, which is wide enough so you don't get wiggly, and not steep at all. Until the end. The last third of the ramp gets steeper and steeper. You can see a photo of the bridge here (opens in new window).

I can imagine walking up. You walk, it's nice, you see the magnificent view of the city, you walk, and the top is so close, and you never realize that it gets harder to walk. And then you're there.

Then you sit down and get second thoughts. You realize that this is not a good idea after all. You decide to come down. But it looks sooooooo steep now. No way would you make it down. The cars and trams are zooming by below you. And then - because you took your mobile phone for backup in case something holds you back from jumping - you call the Fire Fighters. They arive within a few minutes, ambulances, police, firemen all start running around like little ants 100 meters under you. You are sorry for the whole mess by now.

Then two firemen briskly walk up to you on the same ramp, the same way, one of them even without a rope attached, just himself like you did about 20 minutes ago. They get to you and ask you standard questions. Then they lift the crane up to you and you get into the basket and down to the ground.

This is what i witnessed from below the bridge's ramp on my way home just about an hour ago. I think it may have been a guy who just walked up there because he wanted a bit of adventure and hang out there for a little while, and then realized that he can't get down. But he also may have wanted to commit suicide. When i walked across the bridge he was sitting on top, not standing like they usually do, and he looked like he is talking on a mobile phone.

This happens about once each month on this bridge. Do they *think* of the suicide aspect when they design the bridges nowadays? This of course is a bridge that was built 1896, so i guess it wasn't a consideration then... but is it today?