Cardiff suicide road signs prompt mental health fears

Fears over suicide road signs next to city bridge 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 and 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, 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, 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.

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.