On the 75th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge, John Bateson laments the landmark's darker side:
In 2011 there were 37 confirmed suicides from the Golden Gate Bridge. That’s the second-highest total in the past 15 years and the fourth highest total in history. Another 100 people were stopped from jumping by Bridge Patrol and California Highway Patrol officers. In other words, every two-and-a-half days last year, someone went to the Golden Gate Bridge and either jumped or was stopped from jumping.
He wonders why the bridge is the only major international landmark without a suicide barrier:
From the Eiffel Tower to the Empire State Building, St. Peter’s Basilica to the Sydney Harbour Bridge, every other one-time suicide magnet has had a barrier erected. The Golden Gate Bridge has not. Its short, four-foot-high railing can be surmounted by almost anyone. … Many people believe—mistakenly—that it’s impossible to prevent people from killing themselves if they want to. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, 90 per cent of people who survive an attempt don’t go on to die by suicide. In one study of 515 people who were stopped from jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge, researchers found that 94 per cent were still alive 25 years later or had died by means other than suicide.
(Photo: A sign for an emergency phone is seen on the span of the Golden Gate Bridge October 10, 2008 in San Francisco, California. The Golden Gate Bridge District board of directors voted today to continue with a plan to build a suicide prevention net on the world famous bridge with a price tag of $40 to $50 million dollars. An estimated 1,300 people are believed to have jumped to their death from the bridge since it was opened in 1937. By Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
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