Trivia: busiest British street divided by an operational level crossing?

[LickeyIncliner]

This is prompted by this video

posted to the (entirely serious) discussion at https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/parade-and-marching-band-over-level-crossing.267419/

It shows (most clearly around 23:30) that a busy shopping mall (or enclosed shopping street) is bisected by a level crossing. Without being any kind of Health&Safety zealot, it looks somewhat scary. My (fairly) trivial question is: what is (or was) the busiest British street divided by an operational level crossing - particularly one with frequent, main line trains like this? I'm thinking busiest in terms of pedestrians and/or cyclists, not motor vehicles

 

[Flying Snail]

Lincoln would have to be a good candidate, Poole also.

 

[LickeyIncliner]

Lincoln would have to be a good candidate, Poole also.

Poole is the one I was trying to remember from childhood holidays! OpenStreetMap actually puts the words "High Street" over the level crossing (https://www.openstreetmap.org/search?query=Poole#map=17/50.71786/-1.98010)

 

[32475]

Lincoln springs to mind and St Dunstans in Canterbury is also in with a shout.

 

[Andy Pacer]

Lincoln would have to be a good candidate, Poole also.

Lincoln was definitely my first thought when I saw the thread title. Paignton gets quite busy too.

 

[HullRailMan]

Spring Bank West in Hull is a busy dual carriageway - the last vehicle count was in 2009 (the figure will likely be much higher now) and that showed an average of 20,000 vehicles passed over the crossing per day. https://roadtraffic.dft.gov.uk/manualcountpoints/931304

Edit - missed the part about not counting motor vehicles. This crossing gets really busy with pedestrians when the adjacent stadium has a football/rugby match on, and especially during Hull Fair, but that’s is clearly not every day - during the fair there are usually marshals managing pedestrians at the crossing in addition to the barriers.

 

[D6130]

Newark Castle?

Boston?

Lancing?

Bedhampton?

 

[Tazi Hupefi]

Lincoln or Nantwich would be good contenders.

 

[Mag_seven]

Acton Central

 

[Ken X]

What I always remember about Poole crossing was the footbridge directly alongside the crossing. When the gates closed the footbridge became spectacularly busy. Quite steep stairs too.

 

[D6130]

Cosham?

 

[Enthusiast]

Whilst Poole L/C is very busy, it is normally not used by vehicles as it is in a pedestrian precinct. My first thought was Canterbury.

 

[norbitonflyer]

Lincoln High Street - and it used to have two level crossings! This is the one that is left, which is busier than both combined were before, because trains terminating from the Newark direction did not have to cross the High Street when both stations (and crossings) were open.

Not to mention that goods trains could avoid using either crossing when the avoiding line (which crossed the High Street on a bridge) was still open.

Whilst Poole L/C is very busy, it is normally not used by vehicles as it is in a pedestrian precinct.

OP was asking about pedestrians and cyclists, so the fact it is in a pedestrian precinct doesn't exclude it from the discussion.

 

[alistairlees]

Paignton gets pretty busy in summer.

 

[61058]

Lincoln is now pedestrian only (plus access vehicles) but is still busy.

 

[Western Sunset]

What I always remember about Poole crossing was the footbridge directly alongside the crossing. When the gates closed the footbridge became spectacularly busy. Quite steep stairs too.

The footbridge is the original, from when the line opened in 1874. It'll be 150 years old next month.

 

[Dave1954]

Exeter St Davids come to mind .

 

[Russel]

Paignton gets pretty busy in summer.

That was going to be my suggestion, it always surprises me how patiently the crowds of pedestrians wait for the barriers to rise rathe than use the footbridge in Paignton.

 

[Trainguy34]

IIRC there is an (albeit not well used) underpass at St Dunstans / Canterbury West.

 

[Chingy]

There’s a LC at Northam, just after Southampton heading towards St Denys. Forgot what its called now but that’s a busy crossing both by motor vehicles & number of trains using it.

Also, Thatcham & Colthorp on the B&H are both very busy crossings by both motor vehicles, pedestrians and rail traffic. Trains regularly get cautioned through the area.

 

[Schweir]

Wokingham? Reigate?

 

[43066]

Oakham’s LC I’m sure won’t be the busiest by a long way, but always has a fairly healthy queue of cars and pedestrians waiting to cross. It also appears to bisect a confluence of several roads.

 

[Big Jumby 74]

There’s a LC at Northam, just after Southampton heading towards St Denys

Mount Pleasant......my very first thought. Back in the day it was hardly ever (able) to be opened for road traffic, or so it seemed!

 

[Basil Jet]

Acton Central

Typically I'm the only vehicle queueing for that, and there are no pedestrians. Brimsdown is certainly busier with vehicles, as is White Hart Lane in Mortlake (not Tottenham).

 

[Kumquat]

Mortlake can get pretty busy with pedestrians, though there is a footbridge.

 

[james60059]

What about the one at Southampton that a bus driver blocked a few years back as a Class 66 was approaching with empty cartics?, that looked quite busy TBF

 

[D6130]

Canute Road. Very little rail traffic nowadays, IIRC.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Hampden Park (Eastbourne)

 

[ruaival]

Poole does feel very busy (I visit every few months on weekdays in shopping hours) and it shows up with these stats at https://www.railwaydata.co.uk/linefiles/route/?ELR=BML2

Predicted Usage: 10 Vehicles 15423 Pedestrians or Cyclists

 

[alistairlees]

Poole does feel very busy (I visit every few months on weekdays in shopping hours) and it shows up with these stats at https://www.railwaydata.co.uk/linefiles/route/?ELR=BML2

"Predicted Usage: 10 Vehicles 15423 Pedestrians or Cyclists"

Less than Paignton thouh: https://www.railwaydata.co.uk/levelcrossings/overview/?ELR=TOR&m=222&ch=5&yards=chain (17885 pedestrian predicted usage)