It isn’t often that major cities see such a lull of foot traffic that they can repaint crosswalks without interruption, but London is taking advantage of the coronavirus lockdown to do just that. The crosswalk across London’s Abbey Road, made famous by the cover of The Beatles’ 1969 Abbey Road album, had been fading due to the high volume of tourists regularly traversing it, but it just got a fresh new coat of paint.
Photo: berm_teerawat/Shutterstock
Famous Abbey Road Crosswalk Is Being Repainted During the Coronavirus Lockdown
That odd fluke when you turn up to photograph an empty #abbeyroad and stumble across a team refreshing the iconic zebra crossing. @thebeatles @GettyImagesNews pic.twitter.com/RiW0NfJBeE
— Leon Neal (@tabascokid) March 24, 2020
The crosswalk was the first of its kind to receive Grade II-listed status for “cultural and historical importance,” and even has its own live webcam.
According to a spokesperson for Westminster City Council, “This is a very busy zebra crossing and we repainted the line markings to ensure visibility and increased safety for drivers and pedestrians. Our contractors follow government advice on limiting the spread of covid-19, including social distancing and hand washing.”
Although made possible by unfortunate events, the crosswalk’s repainting actually comes in a timely fashion. Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr just celebrated the 50th anniversary of Abbey Road last September with a deluxe reissue of the best-selling album. 