When something goes wrong on Highway 99, it tends to ripple through our whole community. A recent report of a wrong-way driver in the Squamish area is a reminder that, even if these events are uncommon, the risks are serious. Many of us rely on this corridor daily for school runs, commutes, deliveries, and trips to the mountains. Keeping it safe is a shared effort, from the Ministry that manages the highway to local RCMP, maintenance crews, and everyday drivers paying attention behind the wheel.
Wrong-way driving is a high-consequence error. On divided or multi-lane highways, a driver entering in the opposite direction can put people in danger very quickly. In British Columbia, urgent road hazards are handled through 9-1-1, where police and dispatchers coordinate a response. The Squamish RCMP encourages anyone who sees a vehicle travelling the wrong way to call 9-1-1 as soon as it’s safe to do so and to provide clear details about location, direction of travel, and the vehicle involved. While officers and highway maintenance partners respond, the best thing other road users can do is slow down, move right, and make space.
Highway 99 through the Sea to Sky is complex. It mixes rural highway stretches with busy town access points, signals, turn lanes, and intersections used by residents, visitors, and commercial traffic alike. The BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) is responsible for highway design, signage, pavement markings, and lighting on provincial roads, and their standards include “Do Not Enter” and “Wrong Way” signs, directional arrows, and high‑visibility line painting intended to guide drivers clearly. These basics matter most at on-ramps, off-ramps, and intersections where a moment’s confusion can lead to a dangerous decision.
Several factors can make those locations harder to read: dark and rainy nights when glare competes with reflective paint, construction staging that temporarily shifts lanes, or a driver unfamiliar with our local network of frontage roads, service roads, and highway approaches. That is why maintenance, visibility, and clarity are as important as the physical infrastructure itself. Fresh paint, clean and properly placed signs, working lighting, and clear delineators are simple measures that help prevent high-risk mistakes.
BC has invested in a range of safety improvements on the Sea to Sky over the past two decades, including barrier upgrades, rumble strips in many locations, enhanced rockfall protection, and turn-lane and sightline work at key junctions. Those major projects set the foundation. Ongoing safety, however, often depends on the small, continuous steps: seasonal line repainting, vegetation clearing to uncover signs, reflective markers that pop in the rain, and consistent, predictable traffic management during construction. These are the details that reduce confusion and help drivers, especially those unfamiliar with Squamish, choose the right lane at the right time.
Enforcement and education are another piece of the picture. The Sea to Sky RCMP and provincial traffic services conduct regular patrols of Highway 99 and participate in province‑wide campaigns with ICBC that target high-risk behaviours such as aggressive driving, impaired driving, and distracted driving. Those efforts matter on any highway, and they are particularly relevant on a corridor that handles heavy weekend and holiday traffic as well as daily local use. Wrong-way events are rare, but the same practices that reduce common collisions—slowing down, staying focused, and planning your route—also reduce the odds of a serious mistake at an interchange or intersection.
While official details about the recent wrong-way report are pending, the conversation it triggers is familiar across Squamish. Residents routinely ask three practical questions after near-misses or confusing moments at highway access points. Are the signs and markings as clear as they could be for both locals and visitors? Are speeds and lighting appropriate for the conditions drivers actually face at dusk, in rain, or during peak travel times? And are we, as drivers, giving ourselves enough time and attention to make safe choices under pressure?
On signage and markings, there are straightforward steps communities often request when concerns arise. These include adding additional pavement arrows and edge lines to reinforce direction; installing extra “Do Not Enter” or “Wrong Way” signs at driver eye level; improving nighttime reflectivity with newer materials; and increasing lighting at complex junctions. Where space allows, channelizing entering traffic with curbs, posts, or delineators can physically guide vehicles the right way. These are standard tools available to MOTI within provincial guidelines that have been applied across BC as needed.
On speed and visibility, timing matters. Evening and early morning periods can be harder to navigate, especially in poor weather. Strong contrast in markings, clean lenses on streetlights, and consistent line painting go a long way during those hours. For drivers, the simplest advice is often the best: slow slightly on approach to highway access points, reduce unnecessary lane changes, and let signage and arrows lead you rather than trying to “make the light.” If the roadway looks uncertain or unfamiliar, take the extra moment. The few seconds you spend reconfirming direction are well worth it.
If you ever encounter a wrong-way driver ahead, police and road-safety agencies advise you to reduce your speed right away, move to the right, and get off the roadway if you can do so safely. Once stopped in a safe place, call 9‑1‑1 and share the clearest description you can of the location, direction of travel, and vehicle. If confusion leads you to worry you might be facing the wrong way yourself, the safest step is to stop as soon as it’s safe, turn on hazard lights, and call 9‑1‑1 for guidance rather than attempting a risky correction in moving traffic. These are simple actions that protect you and help responders manage the situation quickly.
Coordination between local and provincial agencies is also key. The District of Squamish is responsible for municipal streets that connect to the highway and for broader transportation planning within town boundaries, while MOTI manages Highway 99 itself. When concerns are identified at access points, it often takes both sides to review signage placement, approach speeds, and lane guidance so that the full route—from a neighbourhood street to a highway on‑ramp—feels consistent and intuitive. Community feedback plays a role here. Documenting exactly where confusion happens and under what conditions helps engineers and operations staff target fixes where they will do the most good.
For residents looking to contribute constructively, there are a few reliable avenues. Immediate hazards or active wrong-way reports belong with 9‑1‑1. Non‑emergency observations about signage, lighting, or markings on Highway 99 can be directed to MOTI through its regional offices or maintenance contractor contacts, and municipal concerns can be submitted to the District of Squamish through its service request channels. ICBC’s publicly available crash maps and ongoing education campaigns also provide useful context on common risk factors and safe driving practices in our region.
As of publication, official comment regarding the recent wrong-way report is pending from the Squamish RCMP and the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. We have asked both agencies whether a signage or access review is planned at the location in question, and whether any short-term measures are under consideration. We will share updates once they are confirmed.
Road safety is never just one program or one piece of hardware. It’s the sum of attentive driving, clear and consistent infrastructure, steady maintenance, and timely enforcement. Squamish has grown quickly, and the Sea to Sky continues to carry more people year after year. That makes it even more important that we keep talking about what works, report what doesn’t, and support practical fixes. For now, the simplest step all of us can take is to slow down a little, give the signs our full attention, and make space for each other on the highway we share.
For verified updates, residents can follow the Sea to Sky RCMP newsroom and the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure channels, and use DriveBC for real-time highway conditions. We will continue to monitor this issue and report back with any confirmed safety reviews or changes arising from this incident.
