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Fears over suicide road signs next to city bridge

BBC Sharon Wall smiling in front of the official-looking road signs which say Caution Suicide in Construction in red. And a yellow sign that says Diversion The Lost City. Sharon is wearing a black jumper and puffa jacket and has her hair tied up. BBC
Sharon Wall said the signs were not clear and could be "triggering" to people not in the right head-space

Official-looking road signs about suicide have been put near a bridge, leaving passers-by worried about people misinterpreting them.

There were concerns that people with depression may see them and get "triggered" due to the location, next to Cardiff's River Taff.

The signs were put there by a campaign called Project7000 The Lost City which aims to raise awareness of the mental health crisis in the construction industry.

Cardiff council said it was unaware of the signs and was removing them, while campaign organisers said they would review the placement to prevent any further distress.

Sharon Wall, 43, from Cardiff said: "This sign makes me really sad, it makes you think you never know what someone is feeling and the bridge and water is a peaceful thing to look at but if you're not in the right frame of mind it's not."

She said she did not think passers-by were made aware of what the signs were for as the QR codes were so small and "if they're in that mindset, it could be triggering".

Amna Albahrani, 22, a civil engineer who is working on a five-storey tower project said had "no idea what it's for" and had never heard of the Lost City.

She said she was walking to a meeting about the subject when she saw the signs and "freaked out".

Rijvi Chowdhury smiling at the camera, he is wearing a grey cap and a black jacket. In front of the bridge at Wood Street at the Fitzhamon Embankment.
Rijvi Chowdhury said he has seen lots of people crying in the past sitting on the benches near this river and these signs could cause harm

Rijvi Chowdhury, 27, from Cardiff, said: "I've seen a lot of people cry on the other side of the bridge... I think if they are depressed and see that, it may trigger them."

He said "this is a busy road" and there should be a clearer labels as to what the signs were for.

Danny Muir looking at the camera, he has short hair, is wearing black glasses and a camoflage green jacket. He is standing in front of the bridge at Wood Street at the Fitzhamon Embankment.
Danny Muir said he thought the signs were a good idea but "poorly executed"

Danny Muir, 29, from Cardiff said: "[My friends and I] work in the arts so we thought it was some fancy, slightly misplaced arts project because we saw suicide and thought 'that's a bit on the nose'."

He said once he found out what it was for he thought it was "a great idea but poorly executed".

He added the size of the QR codes and the "high-traffic area" meant they would go unnoticed, which does not spread the intended message.

Official-looking road signs, one red and one yellow. The red one says: CAUTION Suicide in construction, and the yellow one says DIVERSION ---> The Lost City. The signs have hard hats on either side of them, with a small QR code stuck to the top of each side.
The official-looking signs were placed at on Fitzhamon Embankment by a campaigns group aiming at raising awareness of the mental health crisis in the construction industry

Lee Wilcox, CEO of On The Tools, a construction industry media site behind the campaign said 7,000 people had died by suicide in the past 10 years, "four times the national average".

He said the goal was to "connect workers to essential support, not to cause distress. We’re sorry to hear some signs may have had that effect".

He added the group would review the placement to ensure sensitivity while still raising awareness.

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