Should 50 Million Dollars Be Spent to Prevent People from Jumping Off the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco California?

Officials of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco California have voted to install stainless steel suicide nets twenty feet out and along the sides and under the bridge. The Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937 and in that time some 1,200 to 2,000 people have killed themselves by choosing to jump off the side of the bridge. The stainless steel nets are just one of several suicide prevention ideas that were considered to stop the suicides but it was the one chosen because it will not destroy the beautiful bridge views or harm the structural integrity of the bridge. The cost of the stainless steel nets will be at least 40 to 50 million dollars.

This year, 19 people have made the choice to kill themselves by jumping off the bridge. I am sorry that 19 people have chosen the Golden Gate Bridge to kill themselves this year and I'm sorry that almost 2,000 people have died from choosing to jump off the bridge since 1937 but how can bridge officials justify the cost of 40 to 50 MILLION dollars to save a handful of people who are determined to kill themselves?

To put the 19 people who have made the choice to jump off the Golden Gate Bridge in perspective, check out these statistics: approximately 40,000 people die in car crashes each year; approximately 1,500 people die from cancer each DAY and globally one million people commit suicide each year. And to me, these statistics make 50 million dollar stainless steel suicide prevention nets seem ridiculous to save a few people who have made the choice to kill themselves by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge.

Bridge officials say the stainless steel nets will not change the appearance of the bridge. I don't understand how bridge officials can say the suicide nets will not change the appearance of the Golden Gate Bridge. They plan on adding large twenty foot sections of stainless steel nets to a bridge that is more than a mile long and hasn't changed much since it was first built in 1937. How can that NOT change the appearance of the bridge?

Once a final environmental review has been done and officials "find" the 50 million dollars needed for the stainless steel suicide nets, the Golden Gate Bridge will be changed forever. It might be a good idea to visit San Francisco California and the Golden Gate Bridge soon and don't forget to take plenty of pictures.

Resources:
The Daily Telegraph. Suicide Net for Golden Gate Bridge. October 12, 2008.
AOL News. Golden Gate Officials Vote for Suicide Net by Sudhin Thanawala, AP. October 11, 2008.
IntelDaily.com. One Million People Commit Suicide Every Year Globally. January 31, 2008.
SanFranciscoSentinel.com. Golden Gate Bridge to Get Suicide Net by Steve Chawkins. October 10, 2008.
Wikipedia. Golden Gate Bridge.