Many Squamish residents drive Highway 99 and our local roads every day, often with family in the car. That routine is exactly why a recent wrong-way driving incident reported by a local resident matters. It’s a reminder that the line between an ordinary trip and a close call can be thin—and that prevention, clear information, and steady attention to road design all add up to safety for everyone.
Wrong-way incidents are rare, but they carry a high risk of serious harm when they do occur. In this case, the local report has prompted fresh conversation in town about what drivers can do in the moment and what authorities can do ahead of time so fewer of these situations happen at all. Squamish Blog has reached out to BC Highway Patrol (Sea to Sky), the Squamish RCMP detachment, and the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure for details and any active investigations related to this report. Official responses were not available by publication; we will update this story as soon as information is confirmed.
Here’s what we know for sure about roles and responsibilities. Highway 99 and its interchanges are managed by the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, which sets standards for signs, line painting, lighting, and highway design. Within town, the District of Squamish looks after municipal streets and local signage. Enforcement on both the highway and local roads is conducted by the RCMP, supported on provincial routes by BC Highway Patrol. When someone sees a vehicle travelling the wrong way or otherwise posing an immediate danger, police advise calling 911 right away with as much detail as possible about location, direction, and vehicle description, pulling over safely to make that call when needed.
The Sea to Sky corridor is one of the province’s busiest and most varied routes. It serves commuters, commercial traffic, and a steady flow of visitors unfamiliar with the area. Traffic volumes shift with seasons, weekends, and weather. Those realities, coupled with highway speeds and the mix of old and newer interchanges, create conditions where clear signs and predictable lane guidance are crucial. The Province has long emphasized engineering and maintenance measures intended to prevent wrong-way entries, including standardized “Do Not Enter” and “Wrong Way” signs, directional arrows on pavement, and reflective treatments designed to be visible at night and in wet conditions. Rumble strips, improved reflectivity for line paint, and targeted lighting upgrades are used on corridors across B.C., including sections of Highway 99, to help keep drivers oriented.
Public data helps frame the conversation. ICBC’s online crash maps, which aggregate police-attended and reported collisions, consistently show collision clusters along major corridors and at busy intersections in the Sea to Sky region. Those maps don’t isolate wrong-way incidents specifically, but they do underscore a shared reality: preventing crashes is about systems—good design, consistent maintenance, enforcement, and driver behaviour—working together. That’s why, when an unusual and high-risk event like wrong-way driving is reported, it’s reasonable for communities to ask whether signs, lane markings, and physical layout at nearby entry points are as clear as they can be.
Residents who drive the same ramps and intersections day after day are often the first to spot wear and tear or confusing sightlines. The Ministry encourages the public to report maintenance issues—like faded paint, damaged or obscured signs, or lighting that’s out—so they can be addressed by the regional highway maintenance contractor. For questions about design or requests for a signage review, residents can contact the Ministry directly. On local streets, the District of Squamish accepts service requests for signage and line painting as part of routine maintenance and transportation planning.
Road-safety advocates in B.C. often point to proven ways to reduce wrong-way risks. Design and maintenance tools include prominent “Do Not Enter/Wrong Way” signs at every potential entry point, oversized arrows in travel lanes to reinforce direction, high-contrast line paint with reflectivity that holds up in rain, and islands or channelization that make it physically harder to enter the wrong side. Some jurisdictions also review lighting, sightlines, and vegetation near ramps so signs are visible sooner, especially at night. While sophisticated wrong-way detection systems exist, decisions about technology typically follow site-specific reviews by transportation engineers.
Education and enforcement matter, too. BC Highway Patrol and local RCMP detachments run targeted campaigns throughout the year to curb impaired and aggressive driving. Seasonal CounterAttack initiatives continue province-wide to reduce impaired driving—one of the leading contributors to serious collisions. Those campaigns complement day-to-day enforcement on Highway 99 and within town, where officers respond to dangerous driving calls, conduct proactive patrols, and work on problem areas as resources allow.
For individual drivers, there are a few reliable cues that help prevent a wrong-way entry in unfamiliar places. Red reflectors facing you on lane markers, “Do Not Enter” and “Wrong Way” signs, and pavement arrows pointing the opposite direction all mean something’s off—slow down and reassess before proceeding. If you encounter a vehicle travelling toward you in your lane, the safest move is to reduce speed, pull as far right as you can, and stop if necessary, then call 911 when it is safe to do so. Police rely on those timely reports to locate and stop wrong-way drivers quickly.
At the community level, residents have asked what a constructive local response looks like after a report like this. A practical starting point is information sharing without speculation—where it happened generally, what to watch for in that area, and how to report hazards. Neighbourhood associations, employers with shift workers, and local event organizers can include short reminders in newsletters about ramp orientation and signage, especially ahead of long weekends and tourism peaks. Local driving schools, service clubs, and parent groups sometimes collaborate on seasonal safety messages—simple, consistent reminders go a long way.
We’ve asked the Ministry whether any nearby ramps or intersections identified by residents are already scheduled for review or fresh line painting this season. We’ve also asked BC Highway Patrol and Squamish RCMP whether they have recent statistics or advisories related to wrong-way reports in the corridor. Those details were not available by deadline. If a specific location is confirmed by officials, we will share that and any planned actions—such as signage upgrades, vegetation clearing, or minor design tweaks—once they’re approved and scheduled.
Squamish has seen ongoing investment in safer streets within town, and the District continues to emphasize a safe, connected network for people driving, walking, and cycling. That local work complements provincial efforts on Highway 99. The goal on both systems is the same: make everyday travel predictable, forgiving, and as clear as possible—so a moment’s confusion doesn’t turn into a life-changing crash.
Our newsroom will keep following this file. In the meantime, residents can report immediate highway hazards to police via 911. For non-emergency driving complaints or to provide follow-up information, contact the Squamish RCMP detachment or BC Highway Patrol (Sea to Sky). Highway maintenance and signage concerns on Highway 99 can be submitted to the Ministry’s regional maintenance contractor via the contact information listed on DriveBC; municipal signage or line-painting concerns can be submitted through the District of Squamish’s service request channels. We’ll share updates here as provincial or RCMP officials confirm next steps, including any signage reviews or other safety improvements under consideration.
