BALLINLUIG Services and Grill, the popular truck stop on the A9 at Pitlochry is changing fuel supplier, a move that will see the forecourt transformed into the distinctive blue and orange colours of Gulf, but for the family run business and its HGV customers, it remains business as usual!
‘The move to Gulf is good for our future and allows us to deliver a more competitive offering to our customers,’ explains proprietor Claire Bridges. ‘I wanted all of our loyal HGV customers to know of the change and that whilst the site will look fresh and rejuvenated, it will be the same old faces here to meet, greet and serve!’
Located 20 miles north of Perth on the main trunk road to the Highlands, Ballinluig Services has been serving the need of truckers and the haulage industry since March 1970 when Claire’s father, Clive Bridges, a mechanic by trade, opened the business with three pumps and a recovery workshop to fix HGVs. When the bypass was built in 1983, he then established the Motor Grill,’ a 60 seat restaurant that prides itself on its home cooked food and meets a growing need for a rest stop on this popular HGV route. A forecourt, canopy and mini supermarket were also added.
Today, the business includes free lorry parking for up to 25 vehicles, free showers and secure CCTV across the whole site.
• Still on the A9, Transport Scotland is urging road users to allow extra time for their journey as major construction works to dual the A9 from Luncarty north of Perth to Pass of Birnam were scheduled to begin from Monday 4 February 2019.
To allow the start of the main construction works to dual the 9.5km of the A9, major traffic management was required.
These restrictions will begin with the gradual installation of traffic management to narrow the running lanes, followed by the introduction of temporary safety cameras to enforce a reduced speed limit of 40mph through the works area. This traffic management will remain in place until completion of the project in Spring 2021.
These barrier works have been scheduled to take place overnight under a full road closure between Luncarty and Dunkeld, from 8:30pm to 6:00am for four nights, from Friday 22 to Monday 25 February 2019.
• South of the border, truck drivers heading towards Manchester on the M6 through Cheshire can use an extra lane increasing capacity on one of England’s busiest stretches of motorway.
Highways England has opened a fourth lane on both the northbound and southbound carriageways between Holmes Chapel and Knutsford (junctions 18 to 19) as a major upgrade of the motorway nears its completion.
New overhead electronic signs have also been switched on to provide drivers with live information about their journeys, including changes in the speed limit, lane closures and incidents on their route.
