A glitch in Google Maps directed heavy traffic from the A9 highway to narrow single-track roads between Dunkeld and Pitlochry, causing chaos over the weekend starting on Friday. Local residents reported bumper-to-bumper traffic at speeds up to 40mph, making it dangerous for emergency vehicles and leaving some unable to leave their homes. The issue was resolved after someone from a campaign group contacted Google Maps in London.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-22,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On Friday, a Google Maps glitch redirected vehicles, including campervans and large coaches, from the busy A9 highway in Perthshire, Scotland, onto a narrow, single-track road between Dunkeld and Pitlochry. This led to severe traffic congestion in villages like Ballinluig, Tulliemet, and Guay over the weekend, with vehicles having to reverse to make way for oncoming cars due to the lack of passing places. The issue was reported by Transport Scotland on X and resolved soon after, but it left local residents concerned about safety during the incident. Joanne Boyne from Guay described seeing excessive speeding on a road that is typically quiet and slow-moving. This glitch highlighted risks when drivers blindly follow navigation apps, even causing delays of nearly an hour on normally short routes.
Written for “Google Maps Glitch Causes Traffic Chaos” on 2026-10-07,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
- Published
A Google Maps glitch has caused chaos after traffic was mistakenly diverted from the A9 to a single-track road between Dunkeld and Pitlochry.
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traffic → publish → Dunkeld
The issue - which was first noticed on Friday - saw vehicles, including campervans, leave the trunk road and travel through the Perthshire villages of Ballinluig, Tulliemet and Guay.
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vehicles → notice → Ballinluig
On Saturday Transport Scotland posted on X on that Google Maps was falsely reporting the A9 as closed and was recommending an "inconvenient alternate route" when it remained open.
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it → post → route
The problem now appears to be resolved but local residents said the inaccurate information left them worried and, in some cases, unable to leave their homes.
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information → appear → homes
"People were just doing as Google said but the excessive speed was unbelievable," Joanne Boyne, who lives in Guay, told BBC Scotland News.
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who → do → News
"Traffic was going in both directions so when cars came to a section where nobody could pass, everyone had to reverse."
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everyone → go → section
She said the U163 road is a single-track road with no designated passing places.
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road → say → places
The winding and narrow nature of the road and the overgrown trees and bushes make it unsafe to drive fast.
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it → make → road
But over the weekend, she saw campervans, a large coach and cars with trailers - one towing a boat - all drive down it, some at speeds as fast as 40mph.
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all → see → mph
"We were really worried about trying to get to potential appointments or if there was an emergency," Boyne said.
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Boyne → try → appointments
The bumper-to-bumper traffic meant there would have been no space for an ambulance or fire engine to get past if something was to happen, which was a serious concern in the community.
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which → mean → community
Boyne's parents live about three miles away from her Tulliemet.
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parents → live → Tulliemet
"My parents live on the road and they have not been able to leave their house since Friday - even to go for a walk - because it has been too dangerous," she said.
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she → live → walk
The drive from her house to her parents' house would normally take her about 10 minutes but, when she went to check on them at the weekend, it took her almost 45 minutes to get there.
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it → take → minutes
Joanne added that she struggled to get to work at about 07:50 on Monday as there were three cars waiting to turn onto the road from the A9, which is unusual.
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which → add → A9
Laura Hansler, from the A9 Dual Action campaign group, said the bug was fixed after a member of the group contacted the Google Maps team in London.
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member → say → London
But she said problems appear on Google Maps now and again but she did not know what causes them.
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what → say → them
Laura added that Google Maps had previously shown incorrect speed limits on sections of the trunk road.
"
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Maps → add → road
It is not an old diversion that was never cancelled, it is one of these daft diversions that make no sense," she said.
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she → cancel → sense
"Sometimes it will tell you the road is closed because there has been a collision but sometimes Google Maps acts up for no reason."
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Maps → tell → reason
Google has been contacted for comment.
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Google → contact → comment
Laura said people who drive on the A9 tend to use a satnav as a safety feature to avoid collisions and roadworks.
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who → say → collisions
She added many of the diversion routes are unsuitable for large vehicles and volumes of traffic.
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many → add → traffic
"People are using them proactively and on the A9 when someone sees a diversion, they automatically presume it is because something has happened," she said.
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she → use → diversion
"If these maps are not updated, it will cause an accident, which was my biggest fear at the weekend.
"
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which → update → weekend
Laura said she had been in touch with Transport Scotland and the Scottish government on several occasions about the issue.
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she → say → issue
But Transport Scotland told her it did not have a direct relationship or feed to satellite navigation providers, such as Google.
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it → tell → Google
The campaign group is now seeking further response from the government on the problem and calling for action to be taken to prevent future incidents.
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action → seek → incidents
The Aporia
