Gateway Monument Demonstration Program

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Preventing Suicides at the Cold Spring Canyon
Arch Bridge
May 2006
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Purpose of our meeting

• Discuss
• Strategies for addressing suicides at the bridge
• Rescue and recovery operations Commander
  Dominick Palera, County Sheriffs Department
• Understanding and preventing suicide, and how it
  relates to bridge jumping Dr. Lisa Firestone,
  The Glendon Association
• Receive
• Feedback from the citizens on course of action

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The Issue and Concern
43 people have committed suicide at the
bridge since it was built in 1963 31 have
committed suicide since 1981 19 were aged
21-40 14 were aged 41-60 32 were male 11 were
female
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Further Demographic Breakdown
27 resided in southern Santa Barbara County (from
Carpinteria to Goleta) 7 lived in northern Santa
Barbara County (Santa Ynez Valley to Santa
Maria) 9 were from various California counties
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County Sheriff's Department

• First contact experience
• Frequency of events and call outs
• Manpower and resources - cost of a rescue or
  recovery
• The difficulty of victim recovery
• Road Closure
• Staff safety
• Video of recent suicide attempt

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Multi-functional Task Force Formed to Investigate
the Issue and Identify Possible Means to Reduce
SuicidesCounty Sheriffs DepartmentCHPCaltrans
The Glendon AssociationEmergency and Health
ServicesFamily Service Agency/211SBCAGElected
RepresentationCounty Public Works

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Potential Strategies

• Hotline Call Boxes
• Video Cameras
• Pull-out restrictions
• Additional Signing
• Additional Lighting
• Public Education
• Pedestrian Barricades
• Safety Net

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Call Boxes
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Suicide Hotline Call Boxes

• Such connections not available at this time

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SIGNING
Current Sign posted at Cold Spring Bridge
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Possible Additional Message Signs
Golden Gate
Clifton Bridge

• We Care About You
• Distress Center--We listen 24 hours a day
• Statistically, signs have limited effectiveness

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Video Cameras

• Local law enforcement agencies lack
• resources for visual monitoring
• Do not prevent suicide
• May serve as a suicide attraction

Surveillance and Patrol
Local law enforcement agencies lack resources
for visual monitoring
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Lighting

• Lighting has not proven to be an effective
  deterrent

Safety Net
Installed underneath the bridge Can be an
effective barrier for helping to reduce suicides
- alternative proposal Rescue from a net can be
problematic
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Public Parking/Pull Out Areas

• Restricting parking or closing off pull out areas
  may not be effective in reducing suicides
• Some people park in the middle of the bridge
• Caltrans Maintenance requires pull out access to
  both ends of the bridge

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Public Education

• Educate the public through the local media and
  community meetings and events
• Provide public awareness that dialing 9-1-1 is
  best for notifying law enforcement in emergencies

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Pedestrian Barrier

• Demonstrated internationally to be the most
  effective strategy for preventing bridge related
  suicides
• Effective barrier height is six feet tall
• Can be constructed with aesthetic priorities

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Research Findings

• Restriction of Means
• Preventing the ability to jump
• How effective is it?
• Studies show that when people are prevented from
  jumping, they do not go on to commit suicide by
  other means.
• Example Of 515 people who were prevented from
  jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge, only 6
  percent went on to commit suicide.

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Research Findings

• Restriction of Means
• Preventing the ability to jump
• Example Ellington and Taft Bridges in
  Washington D.C. Barricade placed at Ellington,
  but not on nearby Taft.
• Suicides at Ellington decreased from average of 4
  per year to 0 after barricade was installed.
• Suicides at nearby Taft Bridge did not increase.

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Research Findings
Ellington
Taft
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What Does Pedestrian Fencing Look Like?
Ellington
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What Does Pedestrian Fencing Look Like?
Cold Spring Arch Bridge
Pasadena Colorado Street Bridge
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What Does Pedestrian Fencing Look Like?
Pasadena Colorado Street Bridge
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What Does Pedestrian Fencing Look Like?
Clifton Suspension Bridge
Luminous Veil
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What Does Pedestrian Fencing Look Like?
Sydney Harbor
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Golden Gate Bridge
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One of 3 Proposed Barriers for the Golden Gate
Bridge
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How much would a pedestrian barricade cost?
Preliminary Estimate 200,000 to
300,000 Investigating eligibility for
Department of Transportation Safety Program
Funding
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How difficult is it to get clearance to work on
the bridge?

• The bridge is likely eligible for listing in the
  National Register of Historic Places
• Architectural studies required
• Historical Resources Evaluation Report required
• Federally funded projects must comply with
  Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation
  Act

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Environmental Clearance cont.

• A Finding of Effects document will need to be
  prepared, depending on the type of bridge
  modification proposed
• Any modification deemed an adverse effect on
  the bridge will require further consultation with
  Federal Agencies, and perhaps the Advisory
  Council on Historic Preservation

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How long would a project take to install a
pedestrian barricade?

• Difficult to assess at this point
• Project design
• Environmental review
• Permitting

Interim Fencing Advisable?
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Commander Dominick PaleraCounty Sheriff's
DepartmentLisa Firestone, Ph.D.The Glendon
Association
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