We're spending $200 million on a suicide net at the Golden Gate bridge

Poitr poitr pumpkin eater wrote:

wejo wrote:http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Construction-to-Start-on-Golden-Gate-Bridge-Suicide-Prevention-Net-419371784.html

Curious what your thoughts are.

1) I can't believe it costs so much. The Texas Rangers built a 48,114 seat stadium with an office building and a 12 acre lake for $191 million in 1991. That's $314 million in today's dollars.

If I gave $10 million to some kids at Cal Tech what could they build? Or if in the contract for the bridge it was added on, "you have to have a suicide prevention feature" how much would it cost?

2) Are a lot of suicides a thing of convenience? Ie if they can't suddenly jump the bridge will they will not use some other method to end their lives?

2). No. studies have shown suicides are impulsive acts. If you help pause the act. You can prevent it entirely.

YES. If you read the New Yorker article, it states that the few jumpers who survive do NOT generally kill themselves afterwards -- they just need to be prevented from that one impulsive act. And of course, afterwards, they need counseling.

And there is something special about the Golden Gate Bridge that attracts jumpers. Shameful that this wasn't done decades ago, but the city wanted to preserve the aesthetics of their tourist attraction. (Notice that still they are not using the most obvious solution -- raising the pedestrian fence.)

$200m???!!? WTF is the net made of? Platinum mined from Jupiter??

Well I guess that Jamin is calling off plans of moving to Frisco

wejo wrote:

2) Are a lot of suicides a thing of convenience? Ie if they can't suddenly jump the bridge will they will not use some other method to end their lives?

Yes, many suicides are done impulsively but it doesn't seem like that's the issue they're addressing here. This looks like an attempt at fixing a problem peculiar to the Golden Gate Bridge and not the issue of suicide generally. The Bridge itself is a suicide destination, since its construction well over a thousand people have travelled there specifically to kill themselves with a 98% success rate. So sure, if you're committed enough to offing yourself that you'll drive to San Francisco from Omaha you'll probably just figure out another way if jumping off the bridge. But if I were in charge of the bridge I'd see jumpers as a recurring problem that I'd want solve. The net does seem pricey.

It cost $315 million to design a bomb that killed 30 militants in Afghanistan.

$200 million to build a net that could've prevented over 1500 suicides.

Saving lives is cheaper than ending them.

chazmichaelmichaels wrote:

Bridge workers get $72.60 an hour to build the thing. Where do I sign up?

The bridge is high above the water and very windy. A lot of people died just in building it. It's a lot of money for this but if you are there you can see how difficult it is to work on the bridge. A worker may be paid $72/hr to risk his life while guys driving over the bridge are making hundreds and thousands of dollars per hour to make stuff that kills millions of jobs or shifts them out of the country. I am not worried about the cost of the $72/hr guys; I'm worried about the consequences of the thousands of dollars per hour guys.

chazmichaelmichaels wrote:

Bridge workers get $72.60 an hour to build the thing. Where do I sign up? What's everyone's guess as to how much it will cost to maintain the netting? The 75 year average is about 21 people a year jump from there. Assuming 5% on the bond, then you are talking about $10 million a year in interest on the bonds plus conservatively $20 million a year to maintain the netting (using a 10 year life expectancy which is probably pretty generous considering the marine environment). Then you are talking about $30 million to theoretically save 21 lives. Which pencils out to $1.43 million per life saved (that is assuming 100% of those people would not find another way to kill themselves). Surely there is a more effective way to spend that money to prevent suicide than this. If this doesn't qualify as a pork project, then I don't know what does.

Your math assumes the 21 would be suiciders found the net to be such a deterrent against suicide that they had no choice but to abandon their plans and live a long and happy life. My guess is they'll find another opportunity elsewhere and no lives will be saved.

So workmen will be risking their lives to build this thing?

That's a great point.

could be cost effective wrote:

Might just be a matter of the cost. If someone jumps off the bridge, presumably there is a lot of search and rescue/body recover work that has to be done. It might just be that $200m nets are cheaper than constantly fishing out bodies.

Wtfunny wrote:

It cost $315 million to design a bomb that killed 30 militants in Afghanistan.

$200 million to build a net that could've prevented over 1500 suicides.

Saving lives is cheaper than ending them.

Actually, there will be maintenance costs to be done on that net. It will inflate that $200 million number. This not the thread to argue your anti-Trump views. Go to the Trump inauguration thread.

I am sure this cost at least 10 times as much as it should have, however, the purpose is not really to save lives but to prevent the need to fish out dead bodies

Wtliberal wrote:

Wtfunny wrote:

It cost $315 million to design a bomb that killed 30 militants in Afghanistan.

$200 million to build a net that could've prevented over 1500 suicides.

Saving lives is cheaper than ending them.

Actually, there will be maintenance costs to be done on that net. It will inflate that $200 million number. This not the thread to argue your anti-Trump views. Go to the Trump inauguration thread.

And the cost to build the MOAB is separate from the development of it too. At $16 million per detonation, not including the cost for the planes and other infrastructure used to transport, maintain and deploy the weapon.

I didn't mention Trump. Don't be such a snowflake.

wejo wrote:

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Construction-to-Start-on-Golden-Gate-Bridge-Suicide-Prevention-Net-419371784.html

Curious what your thoughts are.

1) I can't believe it costs so much. The Texas Rangers built a 48,114 seat stadium with an office building and a 12 acre lake for $191 million in 1991. That's $314 million in today's dollars.

If I gave $10 million to some kids at Cal Tech what could they build? Or if in the contract for the bridge it was added on, "you have to have a suicide prevention feature" how much would it cost?

2) Are a lot of suicides a thing of convenience? Ie if they can't suddenly jump the bridge will they will not use some other method to end their lives?

WE... do you live in California?

This would come from CA taxpayers.

California will tax for ANYTHING.

They will take this money from the general fund, and then not have money to pave roads.

And do you think that the COST is $200 million?

The cost is probably 4-5 million with the rest going to legislators that will be on a "board" to oversee the completion.

Wejo, do you have link to thread of former high school or college runner who was close to suicide but now is a conselor on the subject, inclusing to other young runners with depression issues? Thanks.

The Wall of Trump wrote:

Exactly why Trump wants to spend well over $10 billion on a wall that won't change anything.

I'm really shocked at how ignorant but proud people like you are.

1) People cannot walk through walls.

2) Other walls like the Great Wall of China were a huge success at controlling border traffic

3) The wall is estimated to cost $10-30 billion. Illegal immigrants are estimated to cost around $100 billion per year (this includes their beneficial contributions to the economy and taxes). Even if we don't convince Mexico to pay, the wall will still pay for itself. So well that you could build the wall over 3 times per year and on the Canadian border as well

4) Illegal immigrants bring a lot of crime and other negative things

Saying a wall would have no effect means you have no idea what you're talking about.

And if you build a decent wall, it'll become a tourist destination. Not very original, but who gives a shite.

After it is built, how long until the family of a good jumper sues the state for not providing a jump proof net?

The $200 million could've been better spent. For instance that money could been used to toughen up these people so they don't want to kill themselves in the first place.