Highway 99 is the spine of daily life in Squamish. Many of us drive it for work, school, appointments, and weekend trips. That’s why a recent report of a wrong-way driving incident in our area has struck a chord: it is a reminder that one serious mistake on a high-speed corridor can put many people at risk. Beyond a single event, it raises useful questions about road design, signage, enforcement, and the practical steps drivers can take to prevent close calls.
Wrong-way driving on a divided highway is rare, but when it happens, the consequences can be severe. In British Columbia, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure maintains Highway 99 and sets road signage and lane markings according to provincial standards. The RCMP is responsible for enforcement and emergency response. While the details of the recent local report are limited, it is appropriate to look at what is known, what is being done, and where further improvements may help.
The Sea to Sky corridor underwent significant upgrades ahead of the 2010 Winter Games, including new interchange work, widened sections, centre-line and shoulder rumble strips in many locations, turn lanes, and safety signage. Those investments have supported steady growth in traffic tied to population increases in Squamish and the seasonal swell of visitors. With that growth has come a more complex mix of local and tourist drivers navigating on-ramps, turn bays, and intersections at different speeds and levels of familiarity.
The Ministry’s standards rely on clear regulatory signs such as Do Not Enter and Wrong Way at controlled access points, along with directional pavement arrows, reflectors, and guide signage to steer traffic correctly. Dynamic message signs and DriveBC alerts are also used to flag incidents and closures. Over time, however, paint can fade, reflectors can be damaged, and vegetation can limit sightlines. Regular inspections and maintenance are designed to catch these issues, especially after winter weather and heavy traffic.
On the enforcement side, the RCMP’s Sea to Sky units conduct year-round patrols focused on speed, impairment, and high-risk behaviours. Officers routinely remind drivers that if they see a vehicle travelling the wrong way or suspect an impaired driver, they should pull over safely and call 911 with the best possible description and location. That simple step helps dispatch send units quickly and may prevent a crash. According to provincial safety messaging, defensive habits also matter: reduce speed in low-visibility conditions, keep to the right on divided highways unless passing, and scan ahead for unusual headlights or vehicle movements, particularly at night or in heavy rain.
For Squamish, the challenge is where everyday local travel meets regional highway use. Many on-ramps near town feed directly into fast-moving traffic. Visitors arriving in poor weather or darkness may be unfamiliar with lane patterns. Even experienced drivers can get confused by temporary detours, construction changes, or worn markings. These are practical, solvable issues, and each has a clear counterpart solution—maintenance checks, fresh paint, better lighting where warranted, and consistent driver education.
Community voices continue to be key in identifying problem spots. Residents who notice confusing signage, low-visibility paint, or near-misses at specific ramps can report those observations to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure and share time-of-day details. That local context helps provincial crews prioritize line repainting, reflector replacement, or added signage. When a concern sits on a municipal road that feeds the highway, the District of Squamish’s engineering and bylaw teams can coordinate with provincial staff to review sightlines, local signs, and speed transitions leading to Highway 99.
Education also plays a role. ICBC and police consistently point to distraction, impairment, and unfamiliarity with routes as contributing factors in serious crashes. A brief refresher helps: enter on-ramps slowly enough to confirm you are merging in the correct direction; look for white lines on your right and yellow lines on your left once you’re on a divided highway; and if anything feels off, stop safely and reassess rather than trying to self-correct at speed. For families with new drivers, consider a daylight practice drive through busier interchanges to build confidence before night or winter conditions return.
It is also worth noting that Highway 99 is an all-weather, all-seasons route that changes character quickly. South of town it feels more urban; north toward Garibaldi Highlands and beyond, curves and grades increase. Rain, snow, and the long hours of darkness in winter test visibility and depth perception. The Ministry’s routine spring and summer maintenance windows typically include line repainting and sign checks after the harsher months; those programs are a good time for residents to flag any locations where markings no longer stand out or where a supplemental Wrong Way or Do Not Enter sign might help reinforce the intended direction of travel.
Local enforcement and outreach can complement infrastructure work. The RCMP’s Speed Watch and community policing initiatives help educate drivers and gather data on problem corridors. While Speed Watch typically focuses on neighbourhood streets, the information it generates—times, speeds, and patterns—can inform broader traffic safety plans. If residents are experiencing consistent confusion at a particular on-ramp or intersection, that input can be shared with both the RCMP and the Ministry to guide targeted patrols and signage reviews.
Sea to Sky traffic volumes have been steadily rising for years, and safety work is ongoing. The provincial government has, in recent seasons, added or refreshed safety measures on Highway 99 in various locations, from shoulder improvements to barrier and sign programs. Where wrong-way entries are a concern, international best practices emphasize redundant cues: properly placed regulatory signs, high-contrast pavement arrows at decision points, and, where appropriate, additional visual elements near the ramp throat. Those tools are within the Ministry’s toolkit and can be applied where data and local observations show a need.
As for the recent local report, we have requested comment from the Squamish RCMP and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure regarding any related calls for service, enforcement actions, or signage reviews. We will share those updates as soon as they are confirmed. In the meantime, drivers who witness a potential wrong-way situation should prioritize safety: slow down, move right, pull off if necessary, and call 911 with the best available details.
Practical next steps for our community are straightforward. If you have observed confusing wayfinding or near-misses at a specific location, send the time, date, and details to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure through its regional contact channels, and copy the District of Squamish if the approach road is municipal. Consider sharing the same information with the Squamish RCMP non-emergency line for situational awareness. For day-to-day travel, keep headlights clean, avoid high beams when they hinder other drivers, and leave extra time when weather or visibility is poor. Small habits add up to fewer surprises for the people around you.
Highway 99 belongs to all of us—residents, workers, and visitors—and the safest corridors are the ones where design, enforcement, and driver behaviour work together. A single report of wrong-way driving is a serious reminder, but it is also an opportunity to tighten the system: clearer signs where they help, fresh paint where it’s faded, data to guide patrols, and a community that speaks up when something doesn’t look right.
We will update readers when the RCMP and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure provide further information on this report and any planned safety work. For current highway conditions and incident alerts, check DriveBC. For questions about local road approaches, contact the District of Squamish. If you have immediate safety concerns on the highway, call 911.
