Coronado Mayor On Why It’s Time To Install Suicide Prevention Barriers On The Coronado Bridge

San Francisco's Golden gate Bridge began construction on a particular kind of retrofit this year. A stainless steel net is constructed under the bridge for a suicide to try. They are hoping to lose the notoriety as the most frequent suicidal site and they hope that Coronado Bridge is not left to pick up the mantle. Since the bridge that spans between the they opened in 1969, hundreds of people have jumped to their deaths. They launched a suicidal feasibility study. Tonight and tomorrow, public meetings will be held to discuss the issue. Joining me is the mayor, Richard Bailey. Mayor Bailey, welcome.Thank you for having me on.You wrote in the San Diego Union Tribune about the suicides that have taken place on the Coronado Bridge. Are you concerned the bridge become more of a magnet for potential suicides?That is a risk. This is a catch 22. Unless we raise awareness about the issue, it is unlikely that we will ever get it resolved. Unfortunately, bridge was built in 1969 between San Diego and Coronado. It is an iconic structure. However, the Coronado Bridge is 200 feet and it has a guardrail that is 34 inches, which was built to prevent cars from going over the site. Unfortunately, the bridge has become a magnet for suicides and attempted suicides. Because suicide is a very sensitive topic to speak about, I do not think at is receiving as much coverage as it deserves. But have you seen the number of people committing suicide increase over the years ?It varies from year to year. It increased over the decades from when the bridge was first built in 1969. Last year, we had 16 suicides and the previous year, we had between 12 and 19 suicides. A difficult problem with the issue is that there is not a great source of data. Different agencies compile the data in different ways. It has taken a community group in Coronado collaborative to come together and composite this data. They are largely artificial. The unofficial tally is around 400 artificial suicides run the San Francisco Coronado Bay Bridge.You wrote about the impact of the suicides emotionally and practically on the larger community. Can you tell us about that?There are compelling reasons why we need to address this issue. One is the loss of life. It is tragic. However, the more practical aspect is the San Diego Coronado Bay Bridge is an intricate part of our transportation network. It carries approximately 90,000 cars each day. It is the primary route traveled for military personnel. When there is an attempted suicide, oftentimes the bridge can be shut down at both directions for hours at a time. Last year, we had an instant where it was shut down for 12 hours. That creates an impact on the transportation network.The Golden Gate Bridge, as I said, has steel netting installed. This netting will extend 20 feet out over each side of the bridge. Do you think that kind of deterrent would be right for the Coronado Bridge?It is possible. All options are on the table. That will be addressed in the study. There are two categories of deterrence that will make the most sense. One is a netting similar to the Golden Gate Bridge. The price tag on the netting is estimated at $210 million. Another category of deterrent is a decorative fence. You saw that implemented with the bridge in Seattle. That bridge is known as a suicide magnet. Community got together to advocate for putting up a barrier to prevent further suicides. They came up with a decorative fence. It has prevented suicides since it was completed in 2011.Who would pay? What agency would pay for any kind of suicide deterrent structure that would be added to the Coronado Bridge?It would come from the state. The Caltrans is the responsible agency. It will most likely come from state money. The Golden gate received public and private funding to build the netting.What are you hearing from the Coronado residence on the subject? You wrote in the article when they hear the bridge is shut down, they kind of know that there is some sort of suicide incident or attempted suicide incident going on on the bridge.What I hear mostly for my constituents is that it is not time to address this -- this is not a new issue. But because of how quickly word spreads, especially in the community as small as Coronado, we have been affected by suicides. Most of us know someone personally who has jumped. Most of the people who take their lives are not from Coronado but the region. The vast majority of the people travel are not residents. They were residents from all over San Diego County.What do you expect with the Caltrans meeting tonight and tomorrow ?The main purpose of tonight's meeting is for the public to have an opportunity to review the scope of the feasibility study and review deterrence that other bridges have lamented and learn about the next steps expect the Caltrans meeting on the suicide deterrent will be held tonight at the Cesar Chavez Center and tomorrow night at the Coronado Public Library. I have been speaking with Mayor Bailey. Thank you.Thank you for have me on.