HIGHWAYS bosses have decided to stick with traditional speed humps to slow down York's traffic - to the bitter disappointment of two women who claim they feel like 'torture devices.'

A traffic calming review by City of York Council has concluded that the authority is 'currently adopting best practice' and therefore no changes are necessary to design standards.

The review has ruled out 'intelligent' speed humps which can rise when vehicles are detected approaching at above the speed limit.

It said none are approved for use in Britain by the Department for Transport and, with a bill of about £40,000 for a system at just one location, the cost would also be prohibitive for widespread use.

Sarah Tanburn, interim director of city and environmental services, said it had been appreciated since the early 1990s that driving over vertical traffic calming measures could cause problems for some people with certain disabilities and medical conditions.

However, their widespread introduction had continued nationally because of their effectiveness in moderating speeds and reducing the chances of accidents happening and the severity of any casualty. She suggested another review should be held in York in five years' time.

Fiona Evans, of Huntington, who suffers from chronic pain and claims speed cushions mean she cannot leave her home by car and has to walk beyond the hump zone to be picked up, said she was 'appalled' by the decision and report.

She said she felt the review was patronising and paid lip-service to disabled people, suggesting they merely suffered discomfort when they actually endured great pain.

She also called for greater consultation with organisations representing people with relevant disabilities when road humps were being proposed.

Anneliese Emmans Dean, of Heslington, who suffers from fibromyalgia and takes long, circuitous and time-consuming routes to avoid humps in University Road, said: "As this review has been carried out by the architects and implementers of York’s traffic calming schemes, you will be unsurprised to see that they come down 100 per cent in favour of their own policies, and propose that we continue to live in a York fit only for fit people for the next five years - at least."

She added that if humps merely caused her 'discomfort', she would not have wasted so much of her time and energy since 1995 arguing against them.