Love in the Time of Padlocks: Has a Craze on the World’s Bridges Gone Too Far?
Clipping locks to bridges as love tokens started in Paris and spread. Is it getting out of hand?
In a city where it has known no bounds, love now has a weight limit. Shortly after 5 p.m. on Sunday, June 8, a railing of the Pont des Arts—a pedestrian bridge in Paris that spans the Seine River near the Louvre—buckled under the weight of thousands of padlocks.
The padlocks are a public expression of love. Couples, mainly tourists, buy them from vendors on the bridge, inscribe or write their names (Kevin & Camille ♥ ♥) on them, lock them to the railing, and throw the key into the water.
The recent railing collapse isn't the first. Last February another railing gave way. Officials evacuated the bridge and removed the damaged section, an architect was rushed to the scene to
