Editorial: As attempts drop, Golden Gate Bridge suicide net proves worth

The net, a stunning engineering accomplishment, was designed as a deterrent, to not only discourage jumpers, but to also catch and hold them if they jump.

The installation of a safety net along the eastside of the Golden Gate Bridge is helping stem the tide of suicides that has haunted the landmark span for decades.

Since Jan. 1, with construction of the steel net having been completed, there have been three suicides. That is three too many – too many lives lost, too many families and friends who have to live with trauma and tragedy.

Historically, without the net, that number averaged 30 per year. Typically, by July, the count would have been 15 to 20 people having taken their lives by throwing themselves off the bridge.

Since the bridge opened in 1937, nearly 2,000 people have used the bridge to end their lives.

That count is so notorious, the span’s reputation for tragedies was the focus of a 2006 documentary – “The Bridge.”

The cost of construction was significant – $228 million. The human cost has been much greater.

Not only has the net helped reduce the number of suicides, the number of people who were stopped by bridge staff has also seen a reduction to 56 so far this year. Before the net was completed, that number averaged 150 for half of a year.

Bridge authorities’ success in lifesaving interventions has been remarkable.

The net and their vigilance is reflected in the recent reduction.

For too many local families, the installation of the net has been a cause for which they tirelessly lobbied, pressing bridge leaders to take action and then joining efforts to secure the funding for the project.

Among them, Kymberlyrenee Gamboa, who joined the ceremony held at Vista Point to officially commemorate the completion of the net. She lost her 18-year-old son, Kyle Gamboa, who jumped from the bridge in 2013.

Her words reflected the humanity that eventually got the net constructed.

“This deterrent is not just a physical barrier, it is a symbol of our collective effort to prevent the loss of life and the lifelong heartache that follows,” she said. “This deterrent shows we care, that we all care about human beings, that we care about life.”

Sadly, Gamboa is not alone in her grief. She is only one of thousands of Bay Area families and friends for whom the bridge was the scene of ongoing tragedies – a number so constantly large that the bridge district officially refused to publicly disclose statistics in hopes of taking the span off the radar of those contemplating suicide.

The net, a stunning engineering accomplishment, was designed as a deterrent, to not only discourage jumpers, but to also catch and hold them if they jump.

Three have found ways to overcome those deterrents.

But the number who have been stopped, either by intervention or engineering, is significant.

Over the years, the Golden Gate Bridge has ranked among the world’s most frequently used.

Others that have similar crisis-level suicides – the Empire State Building, the Eiffel Tower and Sydney Harbour Bridge – had already installed suicide barriers and have seen those tragedies greatly reduced.

Still, it took years – and many lives – for bridge leaders to move toward an engineered solution.

The net doesn’t distract from the architectural beauty of the bridge. Its cost is incomparable to the cost of the tragic loss of life and the emotional repercussions endured by loved ones. Scientific studies have concluded that most of those intent on jumping from the bridge wouldn’t find another route to commit suicide.

Over the past months that the net has been in place, it has saved lives and provided a tangible and effective message that we faced a crisis and took life-affirming action.