The Pont de l'Archevêché (Archbishopric Bridge) is a short bridge behind the Cathédrale de Notre-Dame that connects the southeastern tip of the Île de la Cité with the Left Bank of the River Seine in Paris (map).

Unremarkable in itself, it has a remarkable safety fence: meant to keep pedestrians from falling into the river, the fence has become a repository for expressions of love and longing for thousands of visitors to Paris.

	"Love locks?" I don't think so.

People come, they stop on the bridge for a moment to enjoy the view, photograph Notre-Dame and one another, share a kiss and a laugh.

Not only that, some of them bring small padlocks and lock them to the fence as a token of their love. The Pont de l'Archevêché fence is now covered in locks, with more added daily.

The problem is that...the locks are a problem. They make maintenance of the fence nearly impossible (and, if possible, far more expensive). They are dangerous and can cause sections of the fence to collapse. And the keys carelessly tossed into the river pollute the water, while the sight pollutes the view.

The city government has declared them illegal, and has removed them from many places in Paris (including numerous bridges). More locks appear. More are removed.

The Pont des Arts, a lovely footbridge just beyond the Pont Neuf, suffered from thousands of "love locks" weighing down the structure, but they have now been removed.

The story continues...there's a movement to help address the problem of the love locks, and you can help. More...

To sign the petition asking that the love locks be removed, click here.

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