This Is Now Illegal On The Brooklyn Bridge

brooklyn bridge
image: DOT press release

The first time I ever saw those Love Locks on a bridge was somewhere in the Baltics around 10 years back. (I’m pretty sure that it was in Latvia.)

It’s definitely common to see them on bridges all around the world but one city now has a warning for tourists. If you’re visiting NYC you might want to follow a message not to put locks on the Brooklyn Bridge.

A couple of days back, the Department of Transportation said that they’ll be fining people for leaving locks and other items on the Brooklyn Bridge.

Gothamist mentions that “signs on the bridge now warn specifically against locks, so tourists have begun to get creative: headphones, hairbands, string, and other items have all sprung up in their place“.

The problem with placing all of these items on the bridge is that it costs a lot of money to clean up. It can also be dangerous.

The DOT removes close to 34,000 locks each year. This year it’s cost the city a whopping $120,000 to clean up! Besides the cost to clean up, the weight from the items has become a “safety issue“. Gothamist mentions an overhead light support which fell onto the road below.

To help with the problem, the DOT has put up signs saying “No Locks, Yes Lox, Fine $100”, “Yes Love, No Locks, Fine $100” and “No Locks, Ear Phones, Trash, No Kidding! Fine $100”.

Will these signs help to slow down the addition of locks and other items left on the Brooklyn Bridge? Who knows but tourists can no longer say they didn’t know it was illegal.

Find out more from Gothamist here.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *