作為美國舊金山市的地標(biāo)，金門大橋每年吸引數(shù)百萬的游客，灣區(qū)上百萬上班族也都從這里經(jīng)過。而據(jù)《舊金山紀(jì)事報(bào)》統(tǒng)計(jì)，自金門大橋1937年落成以來，已有將近1700名自殺者從橋上躍下。早在上世紀(jì)50年代就有人提議，應(yīng)想辦法阻止人們從跨度1.7英里，約合2736米的大橋跳下尋死，直到本月初，橋上的自殺防護(hù)網(wǎng)才終于開工。但還是有人有意見。

按理說，在金門大橋豎起防護(hù)網(wǎng)阻止自殺者，不該有什么爭(zhēng)議。但這塊面積38.5萬平方英尺（約合3.5768萬平米）的不銹鋼防護(hù)網(wǎng)卻在灣區(qū)引起了一場(chǎng)曠日持久的論戰(zhàn)。

一些舊金山居民反對(duì)修建防護(hù)網(wǎng)，因?yàn)樗麄冇X得，不該為此浪費(fèi)公共資金。據(jù)稱，該項(xiàng)目耗資2.11億美元，是80多年前整座金門大橋修建成本的三倍。而且最終耗資遠(yuǎn)超最初投標(biāo)的報(bào)價(jià)1.42億美元，也超過了工程顧問們起初對(duì)項(xiàng)目成本的預(yù)估：7600萬美元。

當(dāng)?shù)厝朔磳?duì)的另一原因是，認(rèn)為防護(hù)網(wǎng)或者防護(hù)欄阻止不了自殺的人跳下大橋。近幾十年來自殺率攀升就能證明。同時(shí)，全社會(huì)已經(jīng)在加大防范自殺的力度，世界衛(wèi)生組織（WHO）發(fā)布了預(yù)防自殺的指導(dǎo)，以及令人警醒的統(tǒng)計(jì)數(shù)據(jù)。多項(xiàng)提醒公眾關(guān)注的活動(dòng)也提高了社會(huì)預(yù)防自殺的力度。例如，今年9月18日將迎來第15個(gè)世界預(yù)防自殺日。

WHO統(tǒng)計(jì)，每年全球有將近80萬人自尋短見，自殺是15歲到29歲人群排名第二的致死原因。比起其他自殺方式，跳下建筑不是選擇最多的方式。但跳大橋自殺方面，金門大橋是世界上第二大熱門地，僅次于中國的南京長江大橋。而且《洛杉磯時(shí)報(bào)》指出，盡管自殺圣地的名聲流傳很廣，金門大橋卻一直是全球唯一毫無防護(hù)措施的自殺熱門地。

最后，還有些文物保護(hù)組織反對(duì)一切影響金門大橋美觀的做法。（順便一提，這不是舊金山才有的爭(zhēng)論，全球其他自殺熱門地點(diǎn)都安裝了防護(hù)網(wǎng)，阻止了多起自殺悲劇。）成功競(jìng)標(biāo)金門大橋防護(hù)項(xiàng)目的兩家公司之一Danny’s Construction 稱，將使用600噸鋼鐵設(shè)在大橋公共通道下方20英尺（約合6米）處支撐自殺防護(hù)網(wǎng)。防護(hù)網(wǎng)不是橙色，而是鋼質(zhì)地的灰色，取自舊金山著名的天氣特征——霧。這樣一來飽受爭(zhēng)議的防護(hù)網(wǎng)看起來會(huì)沒那么明顯。

有關(guān)是否應(yīng)該建以及應(yīng)該怎樣建防護(hù)網(wǎng)才能阻止自殺者跳下金門大橋，人們已經(jīng)爭(zhēng)論幾十年，隨著防護(hù)網(wǎng)工程動(dòng)工，爭(zhēng)論終將歸于平靜。安裝工程將持續(xù)兩三年，定于2021年竣工。（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

譯者：Pessy

審校：夏林

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Every year, San Francisco’s iconic Golden Gate Bridge draws millions of tourists and millions more Bay Area commuters. And since it was erected in 1937, nearly 1,700 suicidal people have leapt to their death from the landmark, including 14 in 2018, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Proposals dating back to the 1950s have sought to curb suicide attempts on the 1.7-mile-long span, but it wasn’t until earlier this month that construction finally began on a suicide prevention barrier. And not everyone is happy about it.

While building a barrier to prevent suicidal jumpers shouldn’t seem controversial, construction of the Golden Gate Bridge’s 385,000-square-foot, stainless steel net has been a protracted battle in the Bay Area.

Some San Francisco residents opposed building a barrier because they didn’t think public funds should be spent on the effort. All told, the project is projected to cost $211 million, which is more than three times what it cost to build the Golden Gate Bridge over 80 years ago. That’s also significantly higher than the initial winning bid of $142 million, which was above what consultants had originally hoped would be a $76 million project.

Another reason some locals oppose the bridge’s suicide barrier is that they simply didn’t believe nets or rails prevent people from trying to jump. This argument comes as the suicide rate has soared in recent decades. Meanwhile suicide prevention efforts have gained greater weight, with the World Health Organization (WHO) publishing prevention guides and sobering statistics. Numerous public awareness campaigns have also raised the profile for suicide prevention. One example, World Suicide Prevention Day, takes place on September 10, 2018 and is now in its 15th year.

Worldwide, nearly 800,000 people die by suicide each year, and its the second-leading cause of death for individuals 15 to 29 years old, according to the WHO. And while other methods of suicide outpace jumping from structures, in terms of bridges, the Golden Gate Bridge is the world’s second-most popular suicide destination, ranking behind China’s Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge. Despite this gruesome designation, it has long been the only international suicide landmark without a barrier, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Lastly, preservationist groups have decried any efforts to change the aesthetics of the landmark bridge. (This is not a uniquely San Francisco debate, by the way. Other suicide sites around the world have installed nets that have successfully prevented numerous tragedies.) Six hundred tons of steel will be used to support the Golden Gate Bridge’s suicide net, which will hang 20 feet below the public walkway, according to Danny’s Construction, one of two firms that jointly placed the winning project bid. The net will not be orange but rather a steely gray, with the idea that San Francisco’s most famous weather feature—its fog—will often obscure the controversial barrier from view.

With construction finally underway, the decades-long debate about whether and how to build a barrier to keep people from jumping into the San Francisco Bay should finally be put to rest. Construction will be ongoing for the next two to three years. The barrier is scheduled to be completed by 2021.