Many of us drive Highway 99 and the surrounding arterials every day, often with kids in the back seat or groceries on board, trusting that good habits and clear road design will get us home. A recent wrong-way driving incident reported by a local resident has renewed conversations here in Squamish about how we keep our corridors safe, how we respond when something goes wrong, and what more can be done to prevent high‑risk situations in the first place.
Wrong-way driving is uncommon, but when it happens the risk of serious harm is high. At highway speeds, even a brief moment of confusion can put multiple vehicles at risk. In Squamish, where Highway 99 transitions between open stretches and signalized access points, and where weather and visibility can shift quickly, the margin for error is small. While residents have shared concerns, official details about the recent incident, including whether enforcement action was taken, have not yet been released. We have requested comment from the Squamish RCMP and the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (the Ministry). This story will be updated as information is confirmed.
To ground the discussion: Highway 99 is a provincial route managed by the Ministry. The District of Squamish oversees local streets and traffic calming on municipal roads, while the RCMP provides enforcement on both, supported by BC Highway Patrol along the Sea to Sky corridor. Each plays a specific role in road safety — design and maintenance, community-level measures, and day-to-day enforcement — and effective prevention depends on coordination among all three.
Since the major upgrades leading into the 2010 Winter Games, the Sea to Sky Highway has seen improved alignments, wider shoulders in many sections, better drainage, and new guardrails and barriers in higher‑risk areas. Even with these improvements, collisions still occur. ICBC and RCMP have consistently identified speed, impairment, distraction, and fatigue as leading factors in serious crashes across BC, and those risks apply here at home, particularly when traffic volumes swell on weekends and holidays.
Wrong-way events typically originate at access points, complex intersections, or on- and off‑ramps. In Squamish, several signalized intersections connect neighbourhoods and commercial areas to Highway 99. Clear and highly visible guidance at these locations — from lane arrows and median treatments to “Do Not Enter” and “Wrong Way” signs facing potential conflict points — is a first line of defence. Dusk, rain, or winter conditions can diminish contrast and make worn paint or smaller signs harder to see, especially for visitors not used to local layouts.
Transportation safety standards in Canada, including guidance from the Transportation Association of Canada, support a tool kit for preventing wrong-way entries. Common measures include larger, high‑reflectivity “Do Not Enter” and “Wrong Way” signs at decision points, directional pavement arrows and turn-bay markings that are repainted before they fade, retroreflective delineators along medians, and rumble strips that provide an audible cue if a vehicle drifts or begins to enter a lane in the wrong direction. In some jurisdictions, enhanced lighting or illuminated sign borders are added where night‑time confusion is a concern.
A local review could start with a simple checklist: are the signs at Highway 99 access points in Squamish positioned for oncoming sightlines, not just parallel traffic? Are the wrong‑way and “Do Not Enter” signs sized appropriately and mounted at driver eye level? Do the lane arrows and turn markings still pop in the rain at night? Are medians and channelization islands clearly defined with reflectors? Answers to those questions do not point fingers — they identify practical steps that can be taken quickly if gaps are found.
Enforcement and education remain essential. Sea to Sky RCMP and BC Highway Patrol conduct targeted enforcement on Highway 99 throughout the year, with additional campaigns focused on impaired driving and speed during summer weekends, long weekends, and winter storm periods. These efforts can be paired with seasonal reminders on wrong‑way prevention: plan your route before leaving, use designated turn bays and signalized intersections for U‑turns or course corrections, and pull into a safe area rather than trying to “fix” a missed turn on the highway itself.
Residents also have a role beyond the steering wheel. Near‑miss reports and observations from regular users of a road can flag problems that might not show up in collision records right away. If you encounter confusing signage, faded markings, or poor sightlines at a specific access point, you can report it directly to the Ministry for Highway 99 concerns and to the District of Squamish for municipal roads. Photos, time of day, and direction of travel help engineers understand what drivers are seeing. Those reports, combined with ICBC’s publicly available crash maps and local enforcement input, can guide where small changes would make the biggest difference.
If you encounter a vehicle travelling the wrong way, the safest immediate response is simple: reduce speed, move as far to the right as possible, and create space. Do not attempt to approach or block the other vehicle. Once safe and stopped out of live lanes, call 911 with the last known location, direction of travel, and a description of the vehicle. Dispatchers relay that information to RCMP and BC Highway Patrol, who can clear the hazard and investigate what led to the error.
As conversations about safety continue, transparency around data helps. A summary of wrong‑way incidents, near‑miss reports, and signage or line‑marking maintenance schedules would give the community a clear picture of what is happening and what is already being done. That could come in the form of a periodic joint update from the Ministry and Squamish RCMP, with the District at the table to address any related municipal road issues such as queueing near highway signals or neighbourhood traffic calming requests that affect how drivers approach Highway 99.
There are also opportunities for public awareness that match our local reality. Squamish sees steady commuter flow, a busy tourism season, and many drivers who are new to town. Focused messaging at the start of summer and winter about safe merges, correct lane use at key intersections, and how to recover safely after a missed turn could prevent the rare but risky wrong‑way event. Visitor‑facing channels — from accommodation welcome guides to trailhead signage near highway access points — can reinforce simple, high‑impact reminders.
Squamish is a community that acts when safety is on the line. The recent incident is a prompt to check the basics, ask for data, and make small, evidence‑based improvements where they’re needed. We have asked the Squamish RCMP whether officers responded and what advice they have for drivers, and we have asked the Ministry whether a signage and line‑marking review will be undertaken at Highway 99 access points through town. We will share their responses as soon as they are available.
For road condition updates and incident alerts, visit DriveBC at drivebc.ca. To report a safety concern on Highway 99, contact the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. For municipal road issues, use the District of Squamish Report a Problem page. If you witness an immediate hazard, call 911. As of publication, official comment is pending; we will update this article when confirmation is received from the Ministry and the Squamish RCMP.
