The Golden Gate Bridge, besides being a wonderful piece of architecture and a real landmark for San Francisco, also has the reputation for being a place where people with suicidal intentions go to jump. Since its opening in 1937, approximately 2,000 people have jumped to their death from the iconic bridge.

Finally, San Francisco officials decided to do something about this issue and their decision was building a $50 million net around the bridge. This net would make the act of suicide impossible as anyone who would jump or fall would entangle in the stainless steel net and be safe.

The net solution was widely preferred to other possible ways suicidal people could be prevented from jumping from the bridge. Other solutions referred to rising the bridge’s railing to 12 feet, but this was widely criticized by citizens. Other voices said that providing the bridge with a net isn’t a real solution and that the $50 million can be invested in mental health assistance. The net solution will only solve the specific problem of people jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge, not the problem of people committing suicide.

Another reason why the net around the bridge is criticized is because nobody knows what effects it will have on different bird species flying in the area. The birds can get caught in the net and die. Also, even though the net solution received 14 votes out of 15, there is no real plan on how to get the necessary funding for this project. Even more, the completion of the construction would probably take a couple of years. In 2008, up to this moment, 19 people intentionally jumped to their deaths from the Golden Gate Bridge. How many more will jump before the net is completed?