On the ‘Abbey Road’ again

LONDON – Hundreds of Beatles fans swarmed Abbey Road on Saturday, singing songs and snarling traffic to mark 40 years since John, Paul, George and Ringo strode across the leafy north London street and into the history books on iconic pop photos.

The famous photo graced the cover of the Fab Four’s “Abbey Road,” the last album they recorded together, and shows the bandmates walking purposefully across the zebra-striped asphalt.

Crowds spilled into the street, cameramen jostled for angles, and exasperated drivers honked their horns.

“I didn’t expect so many people to be here,” said German visitor Tschale Haas, 50, who was dressed in a Sgt. Pepper jacket.

Abbey Road, which cuts through London’s well-to-do neighborhood of St. John’s Wood, is home to the eponymous studios where the group recorded much of its work.

The enduring popularity of the site has caused headaches for local authorities, who have had to move the Abbey Road street sign up out of reach to prevent theft and repaint the wall every three months to hide fans’ graffiti.