Road safety is personal in Squamish. Many of us split our days between neighbourhood errands and Highway 99, sharing the road with commuters, delivery trucks, and visitors. When a local resident recently experienced a wrong-way driving incident, it served as a reminder that small moments of confusion on our roads can have serious consequences. The question for our community is less about one driver and more about what we can do—as residents, agencies, and road users—to reduce the chances of it happening again.
Wrong-way driving is uncommon, but it is among the most dangerous events on any roadway because it can lead to head-on collisions at speed. On provincial highways like the Sea to Sky, where lane configurations and access points vary, clarity matters. The BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (the Ministry) manages Highway 99, including its signage and markings, while Squamish RCMP and BC Highway Patrol handle enforcement and emergency response. Any time there is a report of a driver going the wrong way, it highlights the importance of prevention across design, operations, and driver behaviour.
The Sea to Sky corridor has seen major upgrades over the years, and the highway remains the backbone of local travel. Conditions change quickly with weather, lighting, and traffic volumes. Intersections and highway access points around Squamish must serve a mix of local trips and through traffic. In that environment, clear guidance—especially at night or in heavy rain—helps reduce the chance a driver could mistakenly enter against traffic. The Ministry’s standard toolkit includes “Do Not Enter” and “Wrong Way” signs at ramp terminals, high-visibility pavement arrows, edge and centre line markings, and enhanced delineation. These are established measures used across B.C. and can be reviewed and adjusted site by site if concerns arise.
Enforcement and education also play a role. RCMP and BC Highway Patrol conduct year-round campaigns focused on impairment, speed, and distraction—key risk factors that can contribute to wrong decisions behind the wheel. ICBC and policing partners run seasonal initiatives like CounterAttack to target impaired driving and encourage safer choices. While these programs are province-wide, their goals line up with what residents often ask for locally: consistent enforcement and practical reminders that keep people alert and oriented, particularly on fast-moving corridors.
For municipal streets under District of Squamish jurisdiction, local engineering teams typically apply similar principles: legible signage, clear lane use, and intersection layouts that cue the correct movement while discouraging the wrong one. The District coordinates with the Ministry where local roads meet Highway 99, and it has processes to raise and track concerns that residents bring forward. On provincial roads, the Ministry invites public input through its regional offices and the Province’s online “Report a Highway Problem” tool, which directs issues to the appropriate maintenance contractor or engineering team. If you think a specific location needs a second look—signage, lighting, line paint, or ramp geometry—flagging it through official channels helps get it into the queue for review.
What should drivers do right now? The RCMP’s general guidance applies: if you see dangerous driving, and it’s safe to do so, call 911 with the most precise location you can provide. On a divided highway, avoid trying to intervene yourself; give the vehicle space and focus on keeping clear of the lane it appears to be using. If a driver realizes they are headed the wrong way, the safest option is to stop as soon as possible in a protected area and call for help. For the rest of us, a few simple habits reduce risk in places where errors can happen: slow down before complex junctions, read signs deliberately, use headlights early in poor light, and if you miss a turn, continue to a safe, legal spot rather than forcing a sudden correction.
Design-wise, there are several low-cost steps that communities and the Ministry can consider where wrong-way concerns exist. Larger or additional “Do Not Enter” and “Wrong Way” signs can be added at known problem locations. Pavement arrows and stop bars can be refreshed with high-contrast, durable materials. Reflective delineators and chevrons can make ramp direction more obvious at night or in rain. Where appropriate, median islands and channelization can physically guide vehicles into the correct lane and make an incorrect movement harder to initiate. Lighting upgrades at intersections and ramp terminals improve legibility after dark. Each of these measures is widely used in B.C., and most can be delivered relatively quickly if a site review supports the change.
Data helps target those investments. The Ministry tracks collision information on provincial highways and uses it to prioritize safety work. Municipalities do the same on local streets. While wrong-way incidents are rare, they often cluster around similar features—closely spaced access points, unconventional intersections, or locations where the line between an on-ramp and an off-ramp isn’t immediately clear. A combined look at collision history, resident reports, and maintenance observations typically forms the basis for adjusting the road environment.
Another practical piece is communication. Community groups and neighbourhood associations can help surface location-specific knowledge—what feels confusing at night, where glare or weather reduces visibility, or which turn pockets see frequent last-second decisions. Those insights are valuable when engineers and maintenance contractors plan upgrades. They also support the broader road safety approach B.C. has been moving toward for years: reducing serious injuries and fatalities by designing systems that anticipate human error and make it less likely to be catastrophic.
Squamish RCMP and the Ministry have been asked for comment about whether a site-specific review will follow the recent report of a wrong-way vehicle. As of publication, official responses are pending. We will share updates once they are confirmed, including any planned signage checks, maintenance adjustments, or enforcement initiatives in the area.
In the meantime, residents who want to provide input can use two avenues. For immediate hazards, call 911. For non-emergency concerns such as signage visibility, lane markings, or lighting at a highway access point, you can submit a report through the Province’s Report a Highway Problem tool or contact the Ministry’s regional office. Concerns on municipal streets can be sent to the District of Squamish through its customer service channels. Clear descriptions, photos taken safely from off the roadway, and precise locations help technical staff assess the issue faster.
Everyone shares the same goal: getting home safely. The reality of the Sea to Sky corridor is that we will always have a mix of local and visitor traffic, changing weather, and stretches of highway where decisions must be made quickly. That makes basic, proven measures—crisp signs, readable road paint, good lighting, predictable lane layouts—especially important. It also means the daily choices we make as drivers matter: put the phone away, resist rushing a turn, double-check that the lane you’re entering is the correct one, and speak up through official channels when something on the road doesn’t seem right.
We will continue to follow this file and share any next steps from Squamish RCMP, BC Highway Patrol, the District of Squamish, and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. If a formal safety review is launched, or if signage and markings are slated for changes at specific locations, we will publish those details so residents know what to expect and how to provide feedback.
