Suicides mounting, Golden Gate Bridge looks to add a safety net

New York Times

The board that oversees the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco is expected in the next few months to reverse longstanding policy and allocate funding to build a suicide barrier for the iconic structure. The plan calls for a steel net system to be installed 20 feet below the bridge’s sidewalk level. Several factors have brought about the shift, including an important addition to a key area of the federal budget. Denis J. Mulligan, general manager of the Golden Gate Bridge district and a longtime supporter of adding a barrier, emphasized the importance of a clause in the 2012 federal transportation bill that authorized funds for the “installation of safety barriers and nets on bridges.” Local experts have worked for years to dispel the popular notion that people prevented in one suicide attempt will simply seek other means. Eve R. Meyer, executive director of the crisis line and advocacy organization San Francisco Suicide Prevention, said she has testified to the board that “scientific evidence says a barrier reduces suicides, because thoughts of suicide are transient.” Some bridge officials also noted the influence of several bereaved families who believe their loved ones could have been saved, and who have long advocated for the board to take this action.