A reader writes:
I'm glad the Dish has taken an interest in the issue of erecting suicide barriers on the Golden Gate Bridge. On some level, however, I'm also surprised that the matter wasn't framed as part of the Nanny State Watch.
I have lived in San Francisco for 21 years, and that is precisely how the issue is debated locally: Is it the duty of the state to prevent those who want to take their own lives from succeeding in their goal? Should the aesthetics of the bridge be compromised to accomplish that? And if a suicide barrier is erected, won't those who are so inclined just find another way to kill themselves?
Like many San Franciscans, I grapple with the answers to those questions, but I do know that the debate over them – and the limits of public responsibility – explains why a barrier has not built on the Golden Gate Bridge until now.
Another continues:
The Golden Gate Bridge District has been dragging its feet for decades on the suicide barrier. There is a plan in place, but no funds for the projected $50 million project. Just two weeks ago, President Obama signed into law a transportation bill that makes the Golden Gate Bridge suicide barrier eligible for federal funds, something that it was not eligible for in the past. Hopefully this will make it easier for the Bridge District to cobble together the funding it will need to help end these tragic deaths.
Oh, and there is still no center divider separating the northbound and southbound lanes. Design challenges, lack of will and funding needs have also delayed action on this potential life-saving project, even though horrendous accidents on the relatively narrow span have killed 36 people over the last 40 years. Currently, only narrow, flexible plastic lane dividers separate the north- and southbound traffic.
Another:
It has been shown (see here) that putting even a small obstacle in the way of would-be suicide victims decreases the number of attempts substantially, as seen in the number of attempts from DC's Ellington Bridge before and after the railing on the bridge went from waist high to chest high. If it were only a bit more difficult to jump from the Golden Gate, who knows how many would be dissuaded.
(Photo: Looking down from Pole 69, the most popular spot to jump from the Golden Gate Bridge. By Todd Lappin.)
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