![]() One study noted that the total number of known suicides at the Golden Gate Bridge was more than 1,300 by the late 2000s but estimated that with some bodies washed out to sea and mysterious cars left unclaimed in nearby parking lots, the actual number might be closer to 2,000.Ĭlemens says that discussions in previous eras about adding a barrier were stalled in part because officials insisted that any added structure would have to stop suicides completely. Natural landmarks, such as Niagara Falls and Mount Fuji’s “Suicide Forest” in Japan, have also developed notoriety as places people go to end their life, but studies have shown fewer numbers of successful attempts. Other studies showed that structures such as the nearby Bay Bridge, which spans from San Francisco to Oakland, do not have the same draw. 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,” write the researchers in a 2009 study published by The American Journal of Psychiatry. “The Golden Gate Bridge is an iconic suicide magnet. Similar reasons for the Golden Gate’s unfortunate appeal were suggested in studies conducted during ensuing decades. Because the site situated roughly 220 feet above the water was already so famous for suicides, that reputation apparently became self-perpetuating. The promise that the method would be effective brought them, too. Another associated the jump with entering “golden doors” to a new spiritual realm. One survivor said the beauty of the “readily available” bridge attracted them. Of the six survivors the researchers interviewed, every one said their plans involved only that spot and four of the six said they would not have attempted suicide if they had been unable to jump from the bridge – if, for example, there were a “suicide barrier” that prevented it. Trying to understand the landmark’s “fatal attraction,” the researchers sought out interviews with the roughly 1% of people who had survived. A 1970s study noted that from the bridge’s opening in 1937 up until that point, more than 500 known people had leapt off its ledges. Researchers have tried to analyze the Golden Gate Bridge’s tendency to draw people who want to end their lives, sometimes after they’ve taken flights from other parts of the country to do so. The number of people attempting jumps has been increasing in recent years, Clemens says, though it is unclear why. But it is the net’s existence, more than its ability to catch, that officials hope will deter people from trying to jump in the first place. And a person could still find their way to a drop off its upturned edge. If a person jumped onto the net, it would be unforgiving, Clemens says, perhaps leading to broken bones. When the project is completed, the stainless steel mesh net will be located about 20 feet below the bridge and stretch 20 feet out from its edges, running the length of seven football fields. Suicide prevention advocates have propelled it. 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. She describes the barrier as “a suicide deterrent system that will save countless lives” and “an achievement years in the making.”Įxpected to be finished by 2021, the project initially estimated to cost $76 million now has a price tag of over $200 million. But for too many families in our community, it has also been a place of pain,” Pelosi, who represents the San Francisco area in Congress, told TIME in a statement on Wednesday. ![]() “The Golden Gate Bridge is a source of immense pride to San Francisco.
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