BEMUSED residents of a York cul-de-sac have branded plans to place speed humps in the road outside their homes "ridiculous".

Homeowners in Askham Grove, Acomb, are set to object to the plans - part of a £25,000 20mph School Safety Zone around Westfield School in Askham Lane - because they say they have never seen a car speeding down their road.

City of York Council delivered letters to all residents affected by the planned scheme on Saturday.

Highway safety engineer Debbie Brown said she had already received an email when she got into work on Monday querying Askham Grove's inclusion in the scheme.

Askham Lane already has speed humps along its length, but the planned scheme involves building a raised junction at the entrance to Westfield School, together with two raised "gateways" either side of the entrance on Askham Lane.

However two road humps have also been planned for Askham Grove, which is a dead-end road off Askham Lane, leading to an alleyway leading to Tennent Road. Schoolchildren use the alleyway on their way to and from school. Resident Joan Calpin said: "Why do we need traffic calming down Askham Grove?

"One hump is going to be outside my house, which is more or less halfway down the road, but we are a dead-end down here.

"I've lived here for eight years and I have never seen cars whizzing down here.

"I can't think it will do any harm, but what good is it going to do except cause loads of disruption during the work. It's ridiculous."

Another resident, Ronald Jenkinson, said the only motorists causing any concern were parents from the school who park along the road while dropping off or picking up their children.

He said: "The council has got more money that they know what to do with.

"It isn't the residents who cause the problems so why should we have all this cement dumped on the road?"

Neighbour Elzbieta Dunmore said: "We don't get much traffic here, only when people are bringing children to school, but they don't speed down here.

"I thought they had made a mistake, that they didn't have the information that we were a dead-end when I saw the plan."

Debbie Brown said: "It's a fairly long cul-de-sac and 20 mph speed limits have to be self enforcing.

"Askham Grove is long enough to do more than 20 mph so we have to put something there.

"It's more that traffic turning into Askham Grove can speed rather than those turning out." She said she was working with the school and road safety officers on the scheme and a planning application would be submitted after consultation with residents ended on September 27.

Updated: 11:50 Thursday, September 12, 2002