Love locks to be removed from National Carillon footbridge in Canberra
A collection of padlocks symbolising the everlasting love of hundreds of couples is set to be removed from a Canberra bridge by the National Capital Authority (NCA).
Citing public safety concerns, the NCA on Monday announced plans to clear the so-called love locks, from the footbridge connecting Aspen Island, home to Canberra's National Carillon, to the northern shore of Lake Burley Griffin.
The authority will begin removing locks on Friday and will conduct inspections to make sure no other locks are placed in the future.
Said to have originated in Serbia, love locks are a world-wide phenomenon that can be found on bridges throughout Australia, Europe and the world.
One of the most famous sites is on the Pont Des Arts, outside the Louvre in Paris.
According to tradition, couples engrave their names on a padlock and then attach it to a bridge, before throwing the keys into the water below.
NCA executive director Helen Badger conceded the locks did not pose a public safety risk at the moment, but said the authority had decided to remove them before they became a threat to the structural integrity of the bridge.
"The love locks at the moment don't cause a problem because of their weight. (But) there is the example in Paris where a bridge has been overweighted by the locks. So for the future, the more locks that are added will add weight to the bridge," she told 666 ABC Canberra.
"The other problem that we have, is that all the locks are made of different types of metals. The metals cause corrosion on the railings and that then can interfere with the structure of the bridge."
Authority acknowledges love locks 'a sensitive issue'
Ms Badger said there were more than 200 love locks at sites across the ACT and that padlocks at other sites under the National Capital Authority's jurisdiction would also be removed.
Adding a sense of irony to the announcement, the NCA are currently running an unrelated social media campaign titled Love Lake Burley Griffin, encouraging Canberrans to share tips on protecting ACT's waterways online.
"It's been a very tough decision but the NCA has had to consider the impact that the locks have on the bridges now and into the future. We haven't made the decision lightly," Ms Badger said.
The reaction from Canberrans on social media today was mixed - some were angry and some were ambivalent, while others made light of the news.
Ms Badger said the authority had turned over the idea of offering alternative site for love locks, but no suitable structures had been found.
"If that's something that is very important to everybody in the future, then maybe that's something we can look at. But in the short term, that's not something we've considered," she said.
"We do understand that its a very emotive issue, but we do need to look at the bigger picture."
Ms Badger said in the future, she hoped love struck Canberrans would their celebrate their relationships by enjoying National Carillon recitals on Aspen Island, instead placing a love lock.
