‘Love locks’ removed from Paris span

PARIS – The weight of a thousand promises was lifted off the Pont des Arts bridge in central Paris on Monday, as city workers removed the so-called love locks that have collected on the railings.

The Paris city council announced last week that the locks – attached to the bridge by lovers as a symbolic promise before throwing the key away – would be permanently removed and prevented from accumulating again.

It’s not the first time that the city has intervened in the practice, which has spread to other bridges in Paris and across Europe. Even as officials lifted the railings off the Pont des Arts bridge on Monday, hundreds of locks could be seen on nearby bridges traversing the Seine.

Authorities have feared that the burden of the locks, estimated to number more than half a million on Pont des Arts alone, endangers the historic bridge.

But previous attempts to block the locks, often using wooden panels, have been impermanent and were often defaced. Campaigners also set up a website, imploring visitors to proclaim their everlasting love digitally with a selfie in lieu of fastening another padlock on the burdened bridge.

“Our bridges can no longer withstand your gestures of love, set them free by declaring your love with #lovewithoutlocks,” reads a message on the website set up by the campaign.