A 6-foot fence currently separates people from the cliffside property in Isla Vista.
“Some of the ways I know people have fallen is if they’re talking at a party and they’re leaning against the fence, or they’re sitting on the fence and they’re leaning back and they fall,” Gavin・Solomon said. , a student at Santa Barbara City College.
Just beyond the beer pong tables at 6761 Del Playa, a 6-foot-tall fence now stands, which Solomon said helps keep people safe during parties.
“This definitely kind of lowers the risk from a high risk of someone falling down to a very low risk of someone climbing, jumping off, etc. You’d have to legitimately like it,” Solomon said. said.
Over the past 20 years, 14 people have died from accidental cliff falls in Isla Vista, according to Santa Barbara County District 2 Supervisor Laura Capps.
“Last February, a young woman fell from this fence. Luckily she survived and the property owners rushed to do everything they could to keep residents safe,” Capps said. Ta.
This is the first of 74 properties along Del Playa to complete six-foot fence renovations as required by Santa Barbara County.
Solomon said that while some people complain about the fence, the added safety is worth it.
“We don’t want anyone to die in our home,” Solomon said.
Coach Capps’ Bluff safety plan also includes adding warning signs, education and lighting to the surrounding area, with an emphasis on preventing falls in the first place.
“We’ll never know how many lives this fence could potentially save,” Capps said.
Currently, eight properties are in the permitting stage for fencing, and the county is subsidizing the permitting costs for all owners to increase the height of their fences on the remaining 65 properties.
