Many of us in Squamish travel Highway 99 and our local arterials every day. When something goes wrong on the road, it’s not just a momentary scare — it’s a reminder that small gaps in signage, design, or awareness can carry big risks. A local resident recently experienced a wrong-way driving incident, and while details are limited, the report has renewed community conversations about how we keep each other safe on a busy corridor that serves commuters, freight, and visitors all year round.
Wrong-way events are rare, but they are high-risk because they unfold quickly and often at higher speeds. They tend to occur where complex intersections, freeway ramps, lighting conditions, or weather can increase confusion. In our region, those factors can converge: the Sea to Sky Highway sees heavy weekend demand, frequent weather shifts, and a mix of drivers who know the road well and others who are new to it. It’s a combination that puts a premium on clear road design and attentive driving.
The Sea to Sky corridor has seen significant safety upgrades over the past two decades through the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, including wider shoulders in key sections, rumble strips, better rockfall protection, and intersection improvements. Standard wrong-way countermeasures used in British Columbia include “Do Not Enter” and “Wrong Way” signs at freeway off-ramps, directional arrows and lane-use markings, and high-visibility reflective signage. Dynamic message signs and DriveBC alerts are used to share conditions and incidents with drivers. These are proven measures, but they work best alongside routine maintenance, visibility checks, and targeted enforcement.
Enforcement remains a steady part of the safety picture. The Sea to Sky RCMP conducts regular traffic operations along Highway 99, focusing on impairment, distraction, seatbelt compliance, and speed. Under BC’s Motor Vehicle Act, “excessive speed” — more than 40 km/h over the limit — carries automatic vehicle impoundment, a penalty that RCMP in this region use frequently during peak travel periods. Police also remind drivers to report dangerous driving immediately by calling 911 when it is safe to do so. Those calls help dispatch officers quickly, and in the case of a wrong-way driver, minutes matter.
Community members often ask what more can be done to reduce the chance of wrong-way incidents. Transportation engineers generally point to a combination of design and visibility improvements: ensuring “Do Not Enter” and “Wrong Way” signs are placed where drivers naturally look; using larger sign faces at locations with higher speeds; adding or refreshing pavement arrows and stop bars; improving lighting at key decision points; and using rumble strips or reflective delineators to guide drivers into the correct lane, especially at night or during poor weather. The Ministry and municipal transportation teams routinely review these treatments as part of ongoing maintenance and capital planning cycles.
Locally, the District of Squamish has policies and plans that touch safety from neighbourhood streets to highway access points. Traffic calming, intersection upgrades, and improved crosswalk visibility are common requests in growing neighbourhoods, particularly near schools, parks, and trailheads. While the highway is a provincial responsibility, District staff regularly coordinate with the Ministry on access points and intersections that connect to Highway 99, such as Depot Road, Garibaldi Way, and Mamquam Road. This coordination can include signage checks, lane markings, and signal timing reviews to guide traffic safely on and off the highway.
Residents also play an important role in safety improvements. Service requests help road crews find and fix problems like obscured signs, worn markings, or damaged reflectors. If you notice signage that’s hard to see after dark, or pavement arrows that have faded, reporting it through official channels gets it on the work list. When the community shares consistent feedback about a specific location, it also helps engineers prioritize targeted reviews, especially at complex intersections or ramp terminals.
Education is another preventive tool. Many drivers are unsure what to do if they encounter a wrong-way vehicle. The safest approach is to give space, avoid sudden lane changes that may put you into the wrong-way vehicle’s path, pull over when safe, and call 911 with the closest landmark or exit. If you realize you’ve made a wrong turn yourself, BC’s guidance is consistent with national best practice: pull over safely, stop, and call for help rather than attempting to correct direction in live traffic. These steps reduce secondary risks and help first responders reach the scene quickly.
Seasonality matters here, too. Darkness falls earlier in winter, rain and snow reduce visibility, and reflective elements lose punch when covered in grime. That’s when refreshed markings, clean sign faces, and well-placed lighting have outsized value. It’s also when driver attention — slowing down, keeping lights and windshields clean, and staying off phones — makes a concrete difference for everyone around you.
Data informs these efforts. ICBC collision trends across BC consistently link serious crashes to speed, impairment, distraction, and intersection decision errors. That reality underlines why enforcement and design go hand in hand. Well-marked, well-lit junctions reduce the chance of a bad decision in the first place; consistent enforcement and public education reduce risky behaviours; and clear incident reporting allows quick intervention when something goes wrong.
Closer to home, our community conversations often turn to the places we know best — the ramps and intersections we use daily. Are “Wrong Way” and “Do Not Enter” signs placed at driver eye level and at the right distance from the decision point? Are the pavement arrows bright and visible in wet conditions? Are sightlines blocked by vegetation or seasonal snowbanks? These are straightforward checks, and they’re often the easiest to action in the short term while larger upgrades are evaluated.
For longer-term measures, there are tools the Ministry can consider at higher-risk locations, including larger or additional sign panels, supplementary pavement legends, and enhanced delineation that guides drivers through complex movements. Some jurisdictions use enhanced wrong-way treatments that increase visibility at night. Any of these options would be evaluated by provincial engineers based on site conditions and collision history.
We have asked the Sea to Sky RCMP and the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure whether a signage review is planned at highway access points near Squamish in light of the recent report, and whether any additional wrong-way countermeasures are under consideration. We will share updates when official information is available.
In the meantime, practical steps can help. If you spot a damaged or obscured sign on a District street, submit a service request to the District of Squamish. If you notice an issue on Highway 99 — such as a missing sign or a safety concern at an interchange — report it through the Ministry’s maintenance contractor or DriveBC channels. For immediate hazards or dangerous driving, call 911.
One incident can serve as a useful prompt. Squamish is a growing community with more people moving, more goods moving, and more visitors exploring the corridor. Keeping the system safe is a shared job — engineers who design it, crews who maintain it, police who enforce the rules, and residents who use it every day. With clear signage, steady maintenance, attentive driving, and timely reporting, we can lower the chance of rare but serious events and keep daily travel predictably safe.
This story will be updated with any confirmed responses from the Sea to Sky RCMP or the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. For ongoing road condition updates, check DriveBC. If the Ministry confirms a review of specific highway access points near Squamish, we will report the locations and timelines here.
