Halifax residents convince city to have fun with red swing project

A Twitter campaign has convinced Halifax bureaucrats that red swings popping up across the city are not lawsuits waiting to happen, but a fun way to get in touch with your inner child.

When the wooden red swings first began appearing in parks and other public spaces earlier this month, city lawyers expressed concern that someone might get hurt falling off a swing and sue the city.

Suggestions that the swings be removed sparked a Twitter backlash last week with the hashtag #redswingfx.

Leave it to lawyers to forget what its like to be a kid! one Twitter user, Lisa Ladouceur, wrote.

The ridicule worked. By Saturday, the city was tweeting pictures of municipal executives testing the swings for safety.

Adam Hayter of Fusion Halifax said the swings were placed around the city as part of the 100 in 1 Day global initiative to improve city living.

We wanted to encourage playfulness, Hayter told CTVs Canada AM Tuesday.

Hayter represents the group that assembled the swings and hung them from tree branches, park gazebos and other structures with rope.

The group doesnt have a name, he said. It was inspired by RedSwingProject.org, which lists similar installations around the world, all executed anonymously.

The locations of the Halifax swings are not listed anywhere, so its up to residents to discover them.

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Halifax residents convince city to have fun with red swing project