Golden Gate Bridge

The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening into the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean. It connects the city of San Francisco on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula and a portion of the south-facing Marin County headlands near the small bayside town of Sausalito, and is located at {{coor dm|37|49|N|122|29|W|300000}}. The entire bridge including the approach spans is 1.7 miles (2,727 m) long, the distance between the towers ("main span") is 4200 feet (1280 m), and their height is 746 feet (230 m) above the water.

Suicides

In each of the last five years, on average, there has been one suicide jump every two weeks, with a total of over 1,300 suicides. The official count ended in 1995 when the number approached 1,000. The 220-foot (67 m) fall takes four seconds and jumpers hit the water at 75 miles per hour (120 km/h). As of 2003, only 26 people have survived the jump. The survivors, many of whom report that they regretted the decision in mid-air, all struck the water feet first at a small angle and suffered multiple internal injuries and broken bones. In January 2005, an excerpt from the script of Jenni Olson's film, The Joy of Life (2005), in part a history of suicide and the Golden Gate Bridge, appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle. The following week Phil Matier of the San Francisco Chronicle revealed that documentarian Eric Steel had misrepresented the intent of his film to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area when he filed his film permit application with them. He stated that he was making a film about the wonders and beauty of the Bridge as a famous landmark, but instead captured 19 suicides on tape. On January 27th, Bridge District staff re-introduced the topic of a suicide barrier to the Bridge?s Building and Operations committee, citing ?the high profile of this issue in recent press and community conversations.? On March 11, 2005, the Board of Directors of the Golden Gate Bridge voted 15-1 to approve a two-year, $2 million plan to explore the feasibility of a barrier.

Related Topics:
As of 2003 - The Joy of Life (2005) - San Francisco Chronicle - Eric Steel

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