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Ever wondered what would happen if those pop-up bollards hit your car? Well, this policeman found out…

• Two armed police officers spent an excruciating two hours ignoring the laughs of passers-by in central Manchester today after smashing their £30,000 patrol car into a notorious set of rise-and-fall traffic bollards

By Graham Smith
PUBLISHED: 14:58 GMT, 16 May 2012 | UPDATED: 15:38 GMT, 16 May 2012




Two dejected armed police officers stare blankly into space after smashing their £30,000 patrol car into an notorious set of rise-and-fall traffic bollards.
The officers were driving along a restricted road when the electronically operated bollards - designed to only let buses through - rose up under their unmarked BMW.
The front and underside of the 530i model was left a wreck after the accident on Market Street in Manchester.


Embarrassed: Two armed police officers patiently wait for a recovery vehicle to remove their damaged patrol car after smashing it into a set of rise-and-fall traffic bollards



Notorious: The bollards on Market Street have written-off numerous cars since they were installed in 2006

The male and female PC - both sporting body armour with guns in their holsters - had to wait two hours for a tow truck to take the vehicle away, an experience made all the more excruciating by laughing onlookers taking pictures with their mobile phones.
The embarrassed male officer slumped against the grey patrol car looking at the floor while his female colleague sat on the kerb of the pavement.


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Both now face a carpeting from their superiors over their driving escapade amid fears the vehicle could be written off.
Council bosses had previously warned that motorists who crash into the bollards could face legal action for causing damage under the Road Traffic Act.
They said accidents were caused by cars tailgating the buses and branded guilty motorists 'selfish and silly'.

Amused: Laughing passers-by gathered to take photos of the officers' misfortune on their mobile phones


One for the collection: These young men made sure they lined up a good shot of the accident



It is not known whether the two officers were following a bus when the accident occurred.
The bollards are designed so that only buses and emergency vehicles can pass through by activating a sensor which lowers the posts. But the bollards rise again immediately after each vehicle has passed.
As well as numerous road signs, motorists are alerted by flashing lights and audio warning messages.
One onlooker said: 'The police officers were absolutely mortified at what happened and were clearly very embarrassed not least because shoppers and other onlookers were laughing at them.
'One old guy was giving them a lecture about driving properly in Manchester whilst another was shouting "karma" because he got fined the previous weeks for doing a U-turn.
'That wait for the tow truck must have been the most embarrassing moments of their lives.'

Severe damage: The unmarked £30,000 vehicle is feared to have been written-off in the incident



The BMW is attached to a recovery truck. In the foreground are the bollards that rose up from beneath the car

The pair of 3ft-high telescopic posts were installed in Market Street in 2006 after it emerged that the road was one of the worst accident hotspots in the city.
The bollards caused controversy when four cars were written off in five days as they tried to drive over them.
In a recent interview, Manchester City Councillor Pat Karney said: 'I just cannot believe it that we have this precious piece of road which ensures maximum safety for pedestrians... but selfish and silly motorists think they can take on these bollards.
'We’ve got four warning signs here. What bit do they not get on the four warning signs? It really is, when it comes down to it, selfish behaviour.'

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