Re. # 5 above, the close-up shot is a little too close up to be sure, but the straddle cable angle does look pretty "steep" to me. A slightly wider shot showing the whole straddle, up to where the main cable connects, would help.

And seeing the overall crud factor, # 2 and 3 are both worth a look, just for good measure. Even pulling out and lubricating the cables could help.