Denis Mulligan, the bridge district's engineer, told the San Francisco Chronicle the barrier, in addition to deterring or catching jumpers, would protect bridge workers.

The bridge district's board of directors is to consider six options -- five suicide barriers or maintaining the status quo -- at its meeting Oct. 24. The other possibilities would involve building barriers on the bridge itself.

The district held an online poll, getting 4,147 responses. Just under half said they do not want any barriers, 16.5 percent picked a barrier of 8-foot-high bars on top of the 4-foot fence now in place and 15.2 percent went for the net.

Mulligan said all the proposed barriers would cost about the same to build. But nets would be much cheaper to maintain, costing $75,000 a year.

Since its completion in 1937, thousands of people have jumped from the bridge and it is believed to lead the world in suicides.