Oct 11 2008
The Golden Gate Bridge - Suicide Prevention
For years there have been various City agencies proposing suicide barriers for the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Arguments against barriers range from exorbitant amounts of money to build and maintain to the aesthetics aspect. After all the bridge is a major tourist attraction and a spectacular photo opportunity so barriers of any kind would take away from its beauty.
The latest proposal is to build a stainless wire rope net and attach it to and underneath the bridge about twenty feet. The cost would be 40 to 50 million to build and about $78,000.00 a year to maintain. There were 39 suicides last year at the bridge and so far 19 this year. Mental health professionals state that the bridge is used to commit suicide as a romantic way of ending it all. The bridge portrays beauty and romanticism.
My argument is that if what they state is true then what is to stop someone from just running into traffic which would be much more a tragedy. It’s easy to do on the bridge. We would spend all those millions of dollars to attach the net when suicidal people will just find another way. I think money would be better spent to build a barrier not for suicide but actually between the North and South bound lanes on the bridge to prevent horrific accidents. And, use the park police to patrol the bridge on a daily basis. If you’re going to spend that much taxpayers money, use it for prevention. Besides a net hovering at 20 feet below the bridge I’m not sure would save anyone from terrible injuries.
Your thoughts?
