After narrowed pathways, a result of adding higher barriers on the High Level Bridge, angered some Edmontonians, the City is reminding residents of the reasons behind the changes.

The shared use paths on both sides of the High Level Bridge have been open to cyclists and pedestrians for several weeks after crews added new stanchions and cables stretching several feet higher than before.

“What’s happened here at the High Level Bridge for in my memory the last forty years in Edmonton, is that this has been a hot spot and this will stop people who are in distress at the moment,” Dan Klemke, who petitioned to have the higher barriers installed, said.

In 2013, Klemke’s wife Maralyn was in distress from medication she was taking.

“On January 2nd, just after lunch time she came down to the bridge, and parked her car just behind us and jumped off the bridge,” Klemke said.

“The devastation that my family went through was just beyond words.”

Edmonton’s City Council was under pressure to prevent more suicides, and they pushed the project through – but now that the design has come to fruition, it’s causing issues.

“It’s a bit narrower, so I’m nervous I’m going to hit it and then fall,” Allan Yarahmady, who crosses the bridge to go to work, said.

Mayor Don Iveson has also expressed frustration in a blog post: “This is an example of what can go wrong when the city is in a hurry.”

The City is scrambling to find a solution – Edmonton Police released a video online highlighting why the barriers were installed, saying the barriers were meant to “create a space for reconsideration”.

The video also explained how similar structures installed on a bridge in Bristol reduced suicide rates in that UK city by 50 percent.

“We do know that through research, reducing the means available for suicide makes a difference for people,” Ione Challborn said.

Statistics show 124 people committed suicide in Edmonton in 2015, and the city is calling it an epidemic – the barriers are one solution, but the city is planning to release an extensive suicide prevention strategy on September 12.

With files from Jeremy Thompson