Love locks: A scourge in Paris prevails in other cities

Paris

WHEN an estimated 45 tonnes of eternal love (roughly 700,000 padlocks) were removed from the Pont des Arts bridge in Paris on June 1, love as we knew it did not end, despite the outpouring of mourning on social media.

Love locks are alive and well in Paris and in many other cities around the world, where tourists are determined to deposit them as a ritual to mark a romantic trip. Whether that's a good thing depends on the city. Officials view them either as a scourge or as an attraction.

In Paris, where there may be more locks than ever, it's the former.

"People who haven't been to Paris can't understand how bad it is," said Lisa Anselmo, a co-founder of nolovelocks.com, a grass-roots group whose goal is to educate the public about the …