One jumper reportedly left a note on the bridge reading, ‘Why do you make it so easy?’” Some believe bridge suicide is a painless death.
“For others, the bridge is a romantic final exit.
“For some, the bridge is an easily accessible site- pedestrian access, a 4-foot railing, a bus stop, and a parking lot,” noted a 2009 study by The American Journal of Psychiatry. Suicide prevention advocates have propelled it.Įxactly why the bridge is a suicide draw remains a mystery. While locals have floated the idea of adding some kind of barrier since the 1940s, just years after the bridge opened, discussions about the current project got started about a decade ago. Priya Clemens, spokesperson for the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, says that increase is partly due to the "experimental" nature of the project, which led designers to underestimate how much it would actually cost to attach a net of this size across more than a mile and a half of open water and windy air. The goal is to have the net span both sides of the bridge.īut the primary goal is for the net to act as a visual deterrent, acting more like a psychological barrier than just a physical one.Įxpected to be finished by 2021, the project initially estimated to cost $76 million now has a price tag of over $200 million. While the net would result in injures if someone jumped on it (e.g., broken bones), they could move their way to a drop off at either end. The net will be made of stainless steel mesh and situated 20 feet below the bridge, stretching 20 feet out from its edges. After years of debate, state officials will begin construction of a "suicide deterrent" net Thursday. So much so that a harrowing 2006 documentary detailed the frequency the bridge is used for jumpers. Although the Golden Gate Bridge is lauded for its beauty, it’s also a drew for suicide. If you are dealing with thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-80 or go to. So a net that saves a life today may offer more than just a chance at tomorrow. The consensus from both? Of the people that were stopped from jumping, 90% did not later die by suicide. The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District cited a 1978 Sieden study at the Golden Gate Bridge and a Harvard School of Public Health article. “We are honoring a deep moral responsibility to save lives whenever and wherever we can.”īut how does the net prevent suicides in the long term? House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi echoed the statements in her address at the ceremony. “What you’re doing here today, what the Bridge is doing, what the taxpayers are doing, will hopefully turn that number to zero.” Dianne Feinstein, D-California, said 39 people died last year alone by jumping from the bridge. It sounds like a high price, but for suicide prevention it can have a big impact.Īt a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday, Sen. The funds are coming from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Caltrans, the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, state mental health provisions and private donations. The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District posted a video on Facebook to introduce the net project.Ĭosting $211 million to design, plan, and construct, the project is a group effort. Since the bridge was built in 1937, nearly 1,700 people have leapt to their deaths from it, according to the Bridge Rail Foundation, a group dedicated to stopping suicides from bridges. It will be constructed from stainless steel - light enough to be inconspicuous, but strong enough to save lives. The installation will begin in 2018 and the Golden Gate Bridge, Transportation and Highway District expects construction to be completed in 2021.Īnd this isn’t your average net. From there, workers will take careful measurements to begin installing a net that extends 20 feet out along both sides of the 1.7 mile long bridge. In May, crews will begin to erect fencing along the approaches and tower legs, but that deterrent is only temporary. It sounds like a simple response to a complex problem, but the barrier is a big task. The community has a solution: a net covering the perimeter of the bridge. The Golden Gate Bridge has a problem: horrifyingly high suicide rates. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated.
0 kommentar(er)
