

The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco has the highest suicide rate of any structure on earth. Now its authorities are erecting safety nets below the bridge, based on a model that has been successful in Bern.įour seconds is all it takes. Last year 46 people killed themselves by jumping off the iconic bridge. Since it was opened, there have been 1,653 deaths (see box for demographics). What’s more, the statistics only include people who are seen jumping or whose body is recovered.
#MAN JUMPS OFF GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE 2021 INSTALL#
In an attempt to improve the situation, on June 27 a $76 million (CHF68 million) project External link, set to be completed by 2018, was approved to install steel nets six metres under the bridge to catch jumpers. Man jumps off golden gate bridge 2021 install# Nets were in fact set up during the bridge’s four-year construction to protect workers and are thought to have saved at least 19 lives.

Man jumps off golden gate bridge 2021 install#īut since then, plans to erect barriers or railings have stalled for various reasons, mainly aesthetic, structural and financial.Įxplaining the decision, Denis Mulligan, CEO of the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, referred directly to the experience of Bern’s Münsterplattform External link, a popular terrace next to the city’s cathedral with a stunning view over the river – and a 33-metre drop onto concrete.
