| BRITISH COLUMBIA ARTISTS |
Burrard Bridge, Vancouver
Sculptures by Charles Marega
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These 35mm film photographs by Gary Sim show the Burrard Bridge, sometime around 1998. Sculptor
Charles Marega designed the various sculptural ornaments on the bridge, including the
8 lions on the center span, the City of Vancouver crest and motto, and the
busts of Captains Vancouver and Burrard affixed above the boat sculptures. Each of these
busts is identified either by a "V" for Vancouver or "B" for Burrard, the letters
are embossed at the base of each bust.
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Center span detail and Captain Burrard c 1998
| Historical note: when the bridge opened on July 1, 1932, it was the highest bridge in Vancouver. Some citizens were concerned about this, so the city hired an entertainer, who (with great fanfare) jumped off the bridge into False Creek. After he was fished out and dried off, he regaled guests at dinner with the tale. The bridge opened with a single painted line down the middle, no other form of control. It was open to automobiles, horses and horse drawn traffic, bicycles, and pedestrians, all of whom were apparently capable of sharing the bridge with others. Since then the city has screwed up the bridge with bike lanes, excessive signage and control, screwed up the intersections at both the north and south ends of the bridge, and installed a "suicide fence" to prevent people from jumping off the bridge like lemmings. They claimed as justification for the fence that at least one person a month jumped to their death. No names were given. I haven't seen any updated statistics from the city, not that I would believe them anyway, but, honestly, all the fence does is let you jump from six feet higher. |
Suicide fence & bike lane obstruction, c2015
Captain Vancouver, June 8 2024.