Is Love Worth $100? Brooklyn Bridge Padlocks Lead To Fines

By Joe Mauceri

NEW YORK (CNN) -- If you're thinking of attaching a so-called love lock on the Brooklyn Bridge, be warned: there will be a price to pay.

New York City officials on Friday announced a $100 fine for proclaiming your undying love with a padlock on the famous span.

The tradition started in Paris a few years ago. Couples write a message on a lock and throw away the key symbolizing their love can never be broken.

But now the city's Department of Transportation says love locks are breaking the Brooklyn Bridge.

"It sorta seems like a harmless romantic gesture, but it's really starting to pile up and become a problem," Department of Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg said.

In September, a light cable filled with locks and other junk snapped and fell to the road below stopping traffic for hours, which is why the DOT is hanging signs on the bridge warning people about the $100 fine if they're caught hanging locks.

The news came as a disappointment to Sherri and Erin Kerr who came all the way from California to leave one.

"The first time I came I saw all the locks but didn't have one. So this time we brought the lock but...."

"And we're not allowed to put it on," the mother and daughter said.

Since 2013, when DOT started keeping track, crews have cut more than 30,000 locks from the bridge -- a task that costs more than $100,000 annually. But Sherri Kerr thinks it's a small price to pay for the lasting romantic memories.

"I think that cutting locks should just be part of their job," Kerr said.

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