A technical malfunction on the Google Maps navigation platform triggered severe traffic disruption across rural Perthshire after vehicles were redirected off an open highway onto an unclassified country lane. Drivers traveling between Dunkeld and Pitlochry were routed away from the A9 trunk road beginning Friday and sent into the villages of Ballinluig, Tulliemet, and Guay. The diversion pushed heavy volumes of traffic through residential areas unequipped for large vehicles.
Transport agency officials intervened publicly over the weekend.
Transport Scotland posted a statement on social media confirming that the primary highway remained entirely accessible, despite the mapping service falsely designating it as closed. Joanne Boyne, a resident of Guay, said passing vehicles reached speeds of up to 40 miles per hour despite the hazardous terrain. The rural route, designated as the U163, is a winding single-track lane lacking formal passing places, forcing drivers moving in opposite directions to reverse long distances to clear bottlenecks.
Large tourist campervans, commercial coaches, and vehicles hauling heavy trailers were observed navigating the narrow corridor over several days.
Local residents expressed sharp concerns over community safety, noting that bumper-to-bumper blockages left no clearance for ambulances or fire engines to reach surrounding homes. Boyne noted that her elderly parents in nearby Tulliemet were completely unable to step outside their property between Friday and the end of the weekend. A standard 10-minute transit to check on them extended to nearly 45 minutes due to the stationary traffic.
Laura Hansler of the A9 Dual Action campaign group confirmed the digital routing error was corrected after direct intervention with technicians in London. She emphasized that motorists frequently rely on navigation apps as safety measures, meaning false closure notifications automatically induce drivers into hazardous diversions. State authorities noted they maintain no direct digital link with commercial mapping providers, prompting campaigners to call for regulatory oversight to prevent recurring failures.
