Finally

 It's a bad leap of faith, or perhaps it is a leap for the loss of faith, and hope.  Finally San Francisco has announced that the Bridge Board has voted to put up nets to catch/deter jumpers.  I have not understood why there has been so much opposition to any substantial effort to preventing the end to valuable lives; 45 people a year, over 1600 deaths.  Note that each death is not counted as a suicide jump unless the body is found, and not every body is found as some wash out to sea.  If these bodies are discovered they often are counted only as a drowning, not as a bridge jumper. The Golden Gate Bridge as one of the most iconic symbols in the world has the appeal of being the place to choose to die.  And yet, the Eiffel Tower and the Empire State Building have barriers to prevent jumpers.  Why not us?

• Cost?  Is this the best reason not to save lives?  76 million dollars to construct the nets is not a minor chunk of change. However football stadiums cost 720 million to 1.6 billion dollars to build, big budget Hollywood films cost over 200 million dollars to produce, hosting an Olympics is 10-15 billion dollars (normally not a profitable venture)- what would you pay to save your child? what should a society pay to save the lives of children and those that have not yet jumped?
• Aesthetics:  Really? Really? It will take away the beauty of the bridge. I have a tough time honoring that argument. Put glasses on my pretty face if it helps me see better. 
• Will the deterrent work? I believe it will. Historically and recently, this has been proven true.  do suicide bridge barriers work?  
• The funds should be spent on mental health services. Yes, there should be more money provided for mental health services. Since the Reagan years, support for mental health services has been lessened but this is no reason for making a case of either/or.  
• We don't see the deaths and somehow this makes the numbers tolerable.  Why is this so? If we had five people jump from the stands at AT&T park, there would be immediate action in putting up a barrier in the part of the park where this was happening.  
• They're going to find another way to kill themselves.  Perhaps but consider that the answer might actually be for the majority, no. The majority of survivors never try to kill themselves again.  Bridge jumpers have a different mindset. Some do consider death by jumping into the bay a romantic notion; the idea of flying to their end . Many choose this way because they anticipate leaving no bloody crime scene for others to clean, possibly no body for others to bury- drifting off to sea. They choose this way because they don't want to bother others, their families.  They are for the most part wrong but this does not alter their intent  Take away the bridge option and these people may not be so quick to use a gun, or crash a vehicle. These people will have more time to learn to work through their pain and live the type of lives they deserve.
• It's so easy- allowing a depressed individual to simply hop up the 4 foot siding and jump.  Alter the end result of an impulse can halt the impulsive act (instead of a glorious death from the Golden Gate Bridge, it will be an embarrassing flop into a net)
• 10-15% of jumpers are under the age of 18 -children who recognized the ease of this choice. Removing this ease and perhaps these children-our children might ask us, a friend for help.  It's too...easy.
• It's a painless way to go.  Survivors have almost all commented that their first thoughts on the way down are "I've made a serious mistake".  Hitting the water may instantly kill the jumper but other times, it instead cripples their bones, breaks their neck leaving them weakened in pain, and fighting not to drown.  
• It's not my problem.  My kids, my friends would never do this.  This is a sad concept and as a leading city for ideals and forward thinking, San Francisco has sucked for decades in being proactive to saving lives.  Until maybe now.   San Francisco Finally Chooses a Suicide Barrier
• some of my arguments are from a book I read a couple of years ago, The Final Leap, John Bateson

This will take 3 years. In these 3 years, we will lose 100-200 more people.