Golden Gate Bridge (San-Francisco, USA)
Various methods have been proposed to reduce the number of suicides. One of the ideas is to close the bridge to pedestrians at night, still allowing cyclists to cross it, but having them buzzed in and out through the remotely controlled security gates.
Attempts to introduce a suicide barrier have been thwarted by engineering difficulties, high costs, and public opposition. The estimated cost of a barrier is between $15 and $20 million. On January 27, 2005 bridge administration representatives brought up the question of constructing the barrier for the eighth time in a committee of construction and exploiting the bridge, pointing out an increased attention to the problem from mass media and general public.
On March 11, 2005 the Golden Gate Bridge Board of Directors voted 15 against 1 to approve a two-year plan to research the opportunities for the barrier, costing 1,78 million US dollars. The supporters of the project cite the example of Empire State Building and Eifel Tower where the construction of barriers brought the number of suicides to zero, while the opposers of the plan argue that the fence would be unaesthetic, expensive, and it would just move a place of suicide attempts to a different location.
After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 additional security measures were taken and National Guard post was set on the Golden Gate Bridge, since it is a local landmark and one of the national symbols of the USA. In April of 2004 California Governor A. Schwarzenegger, due to economic reasons, ordered to remove the guard. The posts of the National Guard on the bridge itself and around it were liquidated and now the bridge is patrolled by local police and cooperating units.
On May 18, 2004 a young deer crossed the bridge halting the traffic for twenty minutes for the first time in the bridge’s history.