Squamish cares deeply about safe roads, and for good reason. Many of us rely on Highway 99 every day, and our neighbourhood streets connect families, schools, and small businesses. A local resident recently experienced a wrong-way driving incident, a reminder that even rare events can prompt important conversations about how clearly our road system is signed, how we respond in the moment, and what else can be done to prevent high‑risk situations.
Wrong-way driving is uncommon, but it carries a high risk of serious harm because it can lead to head‑on or near head‑on conflicts. Confusion about ramps or access points, poor visibility in rain or darkness, distraction, and impairment are among the factors road-safety agencies regularly identify as contributors. In the Sea to Sky corridor, traffic conditions can change quickly with weather, construction, and tourism surges, which makes clarity at every decision point—especially where drivers enter or leave Highway 99—essential.
Highway 99 is a provincial route managed by the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (the Ministry). Over the past two decades, the corridor has seen extensive investment, including new and widened sections, median barriers in many locations, rumble strips, improved shoulders, and upgraded signage. These measures were part of broader safety upgrades delivered around the 2010 Winter Games era and through ongoing maintenance and improvement programs that continue today. Standard countermeasures used by the Ministry to reduce wrong-way entries elsewhere in BC include prominent “Do Not Enter” and “Wrong Way” signs at off-ramps, directional pavement arrows, reflective delineators, and improved lighting where appropriate. Line painting and sign maintenance are also key, particularly through winter when visibility is reduced.
Local enforcement and education complement these engineering steps. The Sea to Sky RCMP regularly conducts targeted enforcement on Highway 99 and local roads, focusing on impairment, excessive speed, and distracted driving under the Motor Vehicle Act. Provincial campaigns such as CounterAttack run seasonally, and police urge drivers to report dangerous situations immediately. If you suspect a wrong-way driver or any immediate risk to life or safety, the guidance is straightforward: call 911, provide as much location detail as you safely can, and avoid confrontation. For non-emergency information or follow-up, drivers can contact the Sea to Sky RCMP detachment once they are in a safe place.
Beyond the highway, the District of Squamish has identified road safety as a central priority in its transportation planning. Municipal work typically includes speed management, crosswalk upgrades, traffic-calming in neighbourhoods, and collaboration with partners such as the Ministry and ICBC on education and engineering projects. ICBC’s long-running road improvement program, for example, co-funds local safety enhancements with municipalities and the province. These partnerships help address a spectrum of risks—from speeding and distraction to visibility at crossings—and they can also support signage and wayfinding improvements that reduce driver confusion near highway access points.
While the specific circumstances of the recent wrong-way incident are limited to what the community member shared, it has prompted a familiar set of questions locally: Are our highway entry and exit points as clear as they could be? Are “Do Not Enter” and “Wrong Way” signs large and bright enough in poor weather and at night? Would additional pavement arrows, reflectors, or lighting help in certain locations? These are practical questions that lend themselves to a site-by-site review using standard provincial and national guidelines. When conditions change—new commercial driveways, shifting traffic patterns, or nearby construction—what used to be clear can become less so, especially for visitors or drivers less familiar with the area.
There are several constructive next steps available to the community. Residents who observe confusing signage or near-misses can document exact locations, dates, and conditions, and share that information with the Ministry for a safety review. The Ministry accepts public service requests for highway concerns, and its maintenance contractors can address issues such as damaged or obscured signs, missing reflectors, and poor line visibility. If a concern falls on a municipal street, the District’s engineering team can examine sightlines, markings, and lighting and coordinate with the province if the issue is at a highway interface. Sharing clear, location-specific feedback helps agencies prioritize fixes.
Community groups and schools can also support awareness. Short reminders about how to identify the correct ramp direction, what to do if you realize you are headed the wrong way, and how to report hazards can make a difference. The guidance for drivers who inadvertently find themselves on the wrong side is to slow down, signal and pull off safely as soon as possible, and call 911. Do not attempt a sudden U‑turn across live lanes. Waiting for police or roadside assistance is safer than trying to self-correct in moving traffic. For visitors unfamiliar with Squamish, a simple map-based guide to major highway access points shared by local organizations can be helpful, especially ahead of busy weekends.
The broader provincial road-safety framework also matters here. BC’s collaborative road safety strategy has long emphasized the combined impact of engineering, enforcement, education, and emergency response. Over time, this approach has supported tangible changes on corridors like Highway 99: more median barriers that prevent crossover collisions, rumble strips to alert drifting drivers, and more consistent high-visibility markings. As traffic volumes fluctuate with tourism and population growth, periodic audits of signage and delineation remain an important part of that framework, particularly at locations where drivers must make quick decisions.
We have requested information from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure about any recent wrong-way reports in the Squamish area and whether a signage or lighting review is planned for local highway access points. We have also asked the Sea to Sky RCMP if they have issued any recent advisories specific to wrong-way driving on Highway 99. Official comment is pending, and we will share updates as soon as they are confirmed.
In the meantime, there are practical ways residents can contribute to safer roads. Report highway hazards and damaged or obscured signs directly to the Ministry’s maintenance contractor using the contact information posted on roadside signs or via the Ministry’s public service request process. For municipal streets, submit a service request to the District of Squamish with photos and exact locations. Check DriveBC before you travel for current highway conditions, incidents, and construction advisories. If you witness dangerous driving, call 911 when it is safe to do so. And if you belong to a school committee, strata council, or neighbourhood association, consider adding road-safety reminders to your next newsletter—small, steady messages can help visitors and new residents navigate safely.
Road safety depends on shared effort. The individual who encountered the wrong-way situation did what many of us would do—raised a concern so others can learn and agencies can take a closer look. Clearer signs and markings, consistent reporting, and ongoing collaboration among the Ministry, RCMP, the District, and the community can reduce the chance of a rare but high‑risk event happening again.
For verified road updates, visit DriveBC for live conditions and advisories. For infrastructure questions or to request a safety review on Highway 99, contact the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. For municipal street concerns, contact the District of Squamish. We will update readers when the Ministry or Sea to Sky RCMP provide further information on local signage reviews or other safety measures.
