Butter Prevents Suicides. Seriously.

According to THIS Metro article, giant bridges are being coated with butter so their bars and frames become too slippery for people to climb and then jump to their deaths. By extension, this prevents traffic jams caused by drivers who slow down or stop to witness a potential suicide. Here's an excerpt from the article:

"Government officials in Guangzhou in south east China ordered workers to smear butter on all of the climbable surfaces of the 1,000 foot long steel bridge.
Government spokesman Shiu Liang said: 'We tried employing guards at both ends but that didn't work - and we put up special fences and notices asking people not to commit suicide here. None of it worked - and so now we have put butter over the bridge and it has worked very well. Nobody can get up there and anybody who tries either falls'"

Simple, effective, yet very misguided. If someone wants to jump off a bridge, the last thing to stop them should be some Chinese engineers and their slick ledges- that's just delaying the inevitable. Plus, being denied access to the bridge will probably frustrate the person, thus exasperating his or her already extreme emotions. AND if they do kill themselves, it should be in a manly fashion. HERE are some ways to kill yourself like a man.