Three foiled in bridge jump attempts as 4,000 brave May Morning rain

7:33am Tuesday 1st May 2012 in Oxford By Laura Jones

UP to 4,000 revellers braved the rain to celebrate May Morning today.

Despite the weather many poured from city centre bars and clubs in party dresses and black tie suits.

Only three people tried to jump into the River Cherwell, but all were foiled. No arrests were made.

Magdalen Bridge is now open to traffic and security barriers are being removed.

Comments(16)

Freakazoid says...
8:08am Tue 1 May 12

Who needs to jump in the river when we have plenty of rain get you wet!

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Mark L says...
8:11am Tue 1 May 12

pathetic reporting, 810am and the bridge is shut! not open like your story said.

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Vernon Spools says...
8:24am Tue 1 May 12

When I came past at 715am the press were still egging people on to jump. Seen this every year, at the bottom of the ramp shouting at them to jump!

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cynicality says...
8:46am Tue 1 May 12

I love the word 'revellers' - beloved of the media but probably never spoken by anyone in real life, apart from ironically...

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Cathena says...
9:05am Tue 1 May 12

Bar the press and TV, let the rest of us enjoy ourselves - getting soaked usually.

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Rocket Scientist says...
10:10am Tue 1 May 12

Absolute chaos for public transport, instead of buses going into town from Headington and around the plain, therefore only missing Queen Street and Castle Street bus stops, the buses are re-routed from the Plain, along Iffley Road, across Donnington Bridge, along Abingdon Road (where there are road works), along to Castle Street and then back again along the same route!!!!! It isn't rocket science that just for the few hours on May morning the buses go down to the Plain around the roundabout and back on route up to Headington. Most bus passengers are trying to get into town not out. Judging by the crowds at bus stops all through Headington, hundreds of people must have been very late for work today!

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Ab Boy says...
10:14am Tue 1 May 12

PLEASE JUST LET THESE IDIOTS JUMP!!!!

There could be a future P/M jumping off the Bridge

Regarding Buses and Traffic, when did The Council, Police etc ever do anything that would be for the people????

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WitneyGreen says...
10:28am Tue 1 May 12

Rocket Scientist wrote:
Absolute chaos for public transport, instead of buses going into town from Headington and around the plain, therefore only missing Queen Street and Castle Street bus stops, the buses are re-routed from the Plain, along Iffley Road, across Donnington Bridge, along Abingdon Road (where there are road works), along to Castle Street and then back again along the same route!!!!! It isn't rocket science that just for the few hours on May morning the buses go down to the Plain around the roundabout and back on route up to Headington. Most bus passengers are trying to get into town not out. Judging by the crowds at bus stops all through Headington, hundreds of people must have been very late for work today!
It's not like this is unexpected. It's Oxford, it's May Morning, and for a few hours a year, the main thoroughfare into the town centre is closed. Leave earlier for this one day. Or just get off the bus at the Plain and walk...

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Abartonresident says...
12:03pm Tue 1 May 12

I assume from his name that WitneyGreen doesn't have to cross Magdalen Bridge to get into work. It would have been thousands inconvenienced because as well as the Aylesbury bus , The Tube, the London buses etc that use Headington, all the BBLeys, Rose Hill and the surrounding village buses all had to divert down Abingdon Road, which is just one long queue anyway, so a few hundred could gather on the bridge.

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Rocket Scientist says...
12:30pm Tue 1 May 12

Just because it's Oxford and May morning does not mean it cannot be improved! All approach roads to Oxford where almost gridlocked and as Headington is full of Hospitals I would think that quite a lot of NHS money was waisted this morning due to patients being late for appointments and hospital staff unable to get to work!

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mandate says...
12:34pm Tue 1 May 12

A very drunk female student visited a professor's office after celebrating May morning on Magdalen Bridge . She glances down the hall, closes his door, kneels pleadingly.

"I would do anything to pass my exam." She leans closer to him, flips back her hair, gazes meaningfully into his eyes.

"I mean..." she whispers, "...I would do...anything."

He returns her gaze. "Anything?"

"Anything."

His voice softens. "Anything??"

"Anything."

His voice turns to a whisper. "Would you...study?"

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The Donny says...
4:32pm Tue 1 May 12

Trying to get into town from Iffley Road to go to WORK this morning was chaos. No buses until after 8:15, and then there were so many people waiting at the stops you couldn't get on. As for the suggestion of getting a bus to the Plain and walking - this is meant to be the main arterial route for people to get to work from all of the East of Oxford. AND I have a walking stick. The idea of closing the bridge is a relatively recent one and why keep it shut so late? Especially as only 4,000 people turned for the 6am celebrations up and a handful of lunatics wanted to jump. PLEASE don't let this happen next year

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DoctorBob says...
11:17pm Tue 1 May 12

We don't need traditions in this City!

We need killjoys.

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Ab Boy says...
9:50am Wed 2 May 12

Yes I understand some people HAVE to go to work and meetings BUT we ALL knew this was going to happen so why not take the morning off work or plan a meeting for PM or even take a days holiday to avoid all this stress!!!!!

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Rocket Scientist says...
9:45am Thu 3 May 12

Ab Boy wrote:
Yes I understand some people HAVE to go to work and meetings BUT we ALL knew this was going to happen so why not take the morning off work or plan a meeting for PM or even take a days holiday to avoid all this stress!!!!!
As the sole reason for gathering on Magdalen Bridge is to hear the choir sing ONE hym at 6am please can you explain to me why the whole of Oxford has to grind to a halt for 3 hours?

This is totally over indulgent and a massive inconvenience to thousands of people. Not to mention how much this chaos has cost the NHS with missed appointments due to staff and patients stuck in the gridlocked traffic that ensued all around Oxford! Also the adverse affects on businesses in these difficult times.

I am not a kill joy, but this is ludicrous over indulgent length of time to have the bridge closed. The bridge can be reopened much earlier, just like it always was so the huge majority of people can get to work on time. I think the tradition is a good one, but the organisation of the event leaves a lot to be desired, if now other activities (Morris Dancing etc) are taking place, they can be sited more appropriately (ie Broad Street, Gloucester Green), so that the whole of Oxford isn't held to ransom over what probably takes 15-20 minutes plus dispersal time!

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LORD PETER MACVEY 0X2 6EG says...
10:53pm Fri 4 May 12

Rocket Scientist wrote:
Ab Boy wrote:
Yes I understand some people HAVE to go to work and meetings BUT we ALL knew this was going to happen so why not take the morning off work or plan a meeting for PM or even take a days holiday to avoid all this stress!!!!!
As the sole reason for gathering on Magdalen Bridge is to hear the choir sing ONE hym at 6am please can you explain to me why the whole of Oxford has to grind to a halt for 3 hours?

This is totally over indulgent and a massive inconvenience to thousands of people. Not to mention how much this chaos has cost the NHS with missed appointments due to staff and patients stuck in the gridlocked traffic that ensued all around Oxford! Also the adverse affects on businesses in these difficult times.

I am not a kill joy, but this is ludicrous over indulgent length of time to have the bridge closed. The bridge can be reopened much earlier, just like it always was so the huge majority of people can get to work on time. I think the tradition is a good one, but the organisation of the event leaves a lot to be desired, if now other activities (Morris Dancing etc) are taking place, they can be sited more appropriately (ie Broad Street, Gloucester Green), so that the whole of Oxford isn't held to ransom over what probably takes 15-20 minutes plus dispersal time!
Exactly correct, at 6.45 I was nice and warm in the pub, and the bridge was clear. I could have been fully opened by 7 at the latest, but the YELLOW JACKETS have to justify themselves and the imaginary power that they think they have.

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