Golden Gate Bridge Will Get A Suicide Net
Fri, Jul 30, 2010
Lovers travel to romantic hotspots. Curious people travel to UFO hotspots. And suicidal people travel to, well, suicide hotspots.
The most famous suicide hotspot in the world is the Golden Gate Bridge.
Between 1,300 and 2,000 people have plunged 200 feet to their death from this San Francisco landmark since it opened in 1937. And the city has finally had enough.
San Francisco’s Metropolitan Transportation Commission just approved a new plan to install a suicide barrier that would hang 20 feet below the bridge.
Anyone who jumps would get caught in the steel net and then have to be fished out by a cherry picker truck. (Hopefully they can’t crawl out of the net to finish the job.)
The anti-suicide net won’t be installed for another three years, which means the bridge will likely claim at least 72 more lives (an average of two people jump per month).
Tags: Bridge
Jetpacker 
Noah 
Interesting! When Toronto was studying the possibility of building a similar suicide barrier at the Bloor Street Viaduct, it was second only to San Frans’s Golden Gate for the number of suicides annually. I’d read that while the barrier worked — it actually didn’t lower suicide rates in the city. Nor did it lower suicides by jumping within the city limits — people just went elsewhere.
The barrier at the viaduct though is quite beautiful. Designed by architect Derek Revington and completed in 2003 at the cost of C$5.5 million, it was dubbed the Luminous Veil. It’s a neat piece of Toronto heritage and history!
The Golden Gate barrier will cost a lot more than that: $45 million! But I don’t think it will look as nice as the barrier you’re talking out.
It’s gonna be so embarrassing for those jumpers that get fished out of the nets. Better than being dead, though.
Interesting note about the suicide rate not going down after the barrier was installed. I wonder if suicidal people will just head over to the Bay Bridge if they can’t get it done at Golden Gate?
You can’t walk on the bay bridge so it’s not a good suicide spot. Anyway, the point of the net isn’t to save lives but rather to discourage suicides at on of SF’s key tourist profit-centers.