Bondi ban on “love locks”

Bondi ban on “love locks”
Image: Love locks along Bondi's coastal walk

The worldwide craze of “love locks” has reached Bondi, but there is no love lost from Waverly Council.

The Parisian phenomenon, where couples write their initials on a lock, secure it to a structure or landmark and throw their keys into the water as a symbol of eternal love, is spreading along the Bondi coastal walk.

However, Waverley Council “strongly discourages” the practice anywhere within its borders, particularly at beaches or on the coastal walk, a council spokesperson said.

“Love locks can distract from the beautiful foreshore views and, as seen in Paris recently, they are a safety hazard putting visitors and residents at risk.”

Love locks made global headlines when a section of the chain-link fence lining the railing of the Pont-des-Artes bridge in the City of Romance collapsed under the weight and fell into the river, heightening safety fears among residents.

A “No Love Locks” campaign has launched, complete with an online petition with almost 7000 signatures.

Paris officials are balancing the cultural and historical significance of the locks and the appeal to tourists, while maintaining the safety of the city’s infrastructure and answering campaigners.

It is illegal to remove the locks forcibly, for now.

However, Waverley Council is taking a more hard-line stand against love locks and will remove any locks found along the coastal walk.

Not everyone sees the locks as a threat. Resident Tempe McGowan said she sees beauty in the declarations of love.

“They are a beautiful sentiment. To look at infinity, forever, which is the sea.

“It really adds to the place, another layer to the story of place.”

Ms McGowan said the council is “overreacting”.

“It is mean spirited. It is so small, so intimate. They are taking away people’s memories, a gesture of romantic love.”

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