SCHOOL-RUN parents will be banned from driving down two narrow streets near a primary school at pick-up and drop-off times from October 5.

All traffic, except permit holders, will be barred from Hollows Close and Folkestone Road, near Harnham Junior and Harnham Infant Schools, on weekdays from 7.30am to 9.30am and from 2pm to 6pm.

The new rules follow complaints from residents over parents’ “inconsiderate” parking.

Sixty-nine people took part in a consultation about the changes, more than half of whom backed the plans.

And a survey of 145 nearby homes found more than two thirds of residents (70 per cent) were in favour, and 10 per cent were against, while the rest did not respond.

Some objectors said the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) was not needed in Folkestone Road, while other parents questioned where they were supposed to park instead.

The council said excluding Folkestone Road would just shift the problem from Hollows Close to an even narrower street.

And it said parents could park a short distance away (less than five minutes’ walk from the gates) and walk the rest of the way, under the Park and Stride scheme.

City councillor for Harnham John Collier said he and his fellow Speedwatch volunteers regularly witnessed parents parking on the pavements near the school.

He described “indiscriminate and rather selfish” parking by some parents in “Chelsea tractor-type vehicles”.

But he said he understood parents’ “natural concerns”

about their children crossing major roads on the way to school.

Sonya Warner posted on Facebook: “Surely if you decide to live by a school you should expect parents dropping off and picking up their children.”

But Emma Cook said: “There are some real inconsiderate people who think it’s acceptable to use people’s driveways to turn around or even park in front of garages so you can’t get your car out. So I’m glad this is happening.”

Saxon Road, which leads directly to the schools, already has traffic restrictions.