Padlocks of Love

City worker cuts heaps of padlocks of of the Ponte Milvio bridge in Rome, Italy.

Thousands of padlocks removed for bridges saftey!

For the past several years, lovers alike have been chaining ordinary padlocks onto the Ponte Milvio bridge in Rome, Italy. The phenomena started when lovers read a novel by Federico Moccia. In the book a couple place a bicycle lock around a lamppost on the Ponte Milvio and throw the key into the river to show their love. It supposedly symbolizes the eternal bond that lovers share with each other.

 Wanting to bring the story to life, couples all over began placing interlocking padlocks on the bridge and on other major landmarks. There are literally thousands of them lining the bridge, but how could that cause any major damage? Officials say that the rust collecting on the locks can damage the thread of the bridge.

 City workers have had to cut off the locks several times now due to complaints of vandalism and safety issues. Yet everytime they are removed, more of the persistant lovers locks appear. Due to this, a fine has been placed for any person caught placing a lock of 50 euros. Perhaps it won’t destroy any relationships, but that bridge sure is going to start feeling a lot less secure.

~Sean Jarrell

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19545942