PARENTS will no longer be able to drop their children outside some schools under new road closures.

Fourteen schools across Brighton and Hove will shut nearby roads for up to 60 minutes at the peak of morning rush hour and again in the afternoon.

The restrictions will begin at the start of term and prohibit most cars from accessing the streets under the threat of a penalty notice.

The “School Streets” programme will be in effect from September 4 and is a bid to support social distancing, increase road safety and promote active lifestyles.

Vehicles will not be allowed to enter the streets for up to an hour, which will vary from school to school but will be within the windows of 8am to 10am and 2pm to 4pm.

That is unless they are one of the exempted groups.

The Argus: Children at the School Streets Day in Queen's Park RiseChildren at the School Streets Day in Queen's Park Rise

A council spokeswoman said: “The restrictions are designed to support the safe travel of primary school children to and from school and expect the majority of motorists will respect this.

“All School Streets sites will initially run with support from a traffic management contractor, council staff, [cycle charity] Sustrans officers, volunteers and other partner organisations.

“Civil enforcement officers will also be visiting sites regularly and can issue fixed penalty notices to anyone who is parked illegally. “

The schools are:

  • Downs Infant School in Ditchling Place, Brighton. Florence Place will be closed.
  • Stanford Infants in Highcroft Villas, Brighton. Port Hall Avenue from Port Hall Road to Port Hall Place will be closed.
  • West Hove Infants in Portland Road, Hove. School Road from Portland Road to Marmion Road will be closed.
  • West Hove Infants in Connaught Annexe, Hove. Connaught Road from Sackville Junction will be closed.
  • Brunswick Primary in Somerhill Road, Hove. Somerhill Road from Somerhill Avenue to Lansdowne Road will be closed.
  • Carden Primary School in County Oak Avenue, Brighton. County Oak Avenue from Denton Drive to Carden Parade will be closed.
  • Fairlight Primary School in St Leonards Road, Brighton. Hastings Road, north of St Leonards Road, will be closed.
  • Moulsecoomb Primary School in Lewes Road, Brighton. Hodshrove Lane, west of the children’s centre, will be closed.
  • St Luke’s Primary in Queen’s Park Rise, Brighton. Queen’s Park Rise between St Luke’s Terrace and Queen’s Park Terrace will be closed.
  • St Margaret’s CE Primary School in Whiteway Lane, Rottingdean. Whiteway Lane will be closed.
  • St Nicolas CE Primary School in Locks Hill, Portslade. Highlands Road, west of Park Close, will be closed.
  • Saltdean Primary in Chiltington Way, Saltdean. School Lane, north of the car park, will be closed.
  • Downs Junior School in Rugby Road, Brighton. Grantham Road between Ditchling Road and Edburton Avenue will be closed.
  • Hove Junior School in Portland Road, Hove. School Road from Portland Road to Marmion Road will be closed.

Operating times will depend on the school but will be about 30 to 60 minutes in the morning and 30 to 60 minutes in the afternoon.

A penalty charge notice (PCN) including a fine will be issued to vehicles stopping or parking during the restriction.

Residents, blue badge holders, deliveries, tradespeople and removals will be permitted to enter and leave the street.

Marshals at the barriers will ask vehicle drivers to provide proof they are permitted on the street.

All vehicles already parked in the scheme before the times of operation will be able to leave when they need to, without penalty.

General visitors to residents, parents and carers taking their children to school will not be able to enter.

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Neither will business and school employees without on-premises parking.

A spokeswoman for Brighton and Hove City Council said: “The times for the closures for each school will be available on this before the start of the school term in September 2020. The School Street schemes will operate Monday to Friday term-time only and won’t operate at weekends or during school holidays.

“The public will have the right to comment on arrangements in named streets in the city-wide Emergency Traffic Regulation order for the first six months of the scheme.

“The order can last for up to 18 months.

“All comments received in the first six months of the scheme must be reported to the relevant committee before the end of the 18-month period.

“Before the end of this period, the committee must decide whether to amend or renew the temporary order, make the changes permanent or revert to previous arrangements.

“If no decision is made the order lapses and the street will revert to previous regulations.

“The main aim of a School Street is to reduce the amount of traffic on streets around a school.

“There are many benefits, including reducing congestion, improving road safety, including ‘feeling’ safe and reducing air pollution.

“These benefits help to encourage families to walk, scoot or cycle to school, making the area immediately outside the school healthier for all.”

In March last year, St Luke’s Primary School shut Queen’s Park Rise in Brighton for two hours to fight poor air quality and provide pupils with a safer walk to school.

It was one of 39 schools in the UK which took part in the Sustrans Big Pedal 2019 School Streets event.