Many of us drive Highway 99 several times a week without thinking twice about it. A recent wrong-way driving incident reported by a local resident is a reminder that even familiar routes can present sudden, high-risk situations. While these events are rare, they carry serious potential for head-on collisions. That reality has sparked fresh conversations in Squamish about how we share the road, how the system is designed to prevent mistakes, and what we can do together to reduce risk.
Sea to Sky RCMP has been asked for more information about the report and whether a formal investigation is underway. We will share updates once they’re confirmed. In the meantime, it’s worth looking at what’s already in place on Highway 99 and around our interchanges, and what steps could further strengthen safety for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians as our community grows.
The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MoTI) is responsible for the provincial highway network, including the Sea to Sky corridor. The ministry’s standards guide the use of “Do Not Enter” and “Wrong Way” signs, pavement arrows, reflective markers and lighting at on- and off-ramps to help prevent drivers from entering opposing lanes. Along Highway 99, you also see a range of highway safety measures that have been added or upgraded over the years, including median barriers in key sections, rumble strips, dynamic message signs and the Variable Speed Limit System, which adjusts posted speeds when weather and road conditions change. These tools are meant to reduce the chance of serious crashes, particularly during darkness, heavy rain or snow, when visibility and reaction time are tested.
Local policing is another key layer. The Sea to Sky RCMP and the dedicated traffic unit conduct targeted enforcement for speed, impairment and distracted driving. Their work is supported by province-wide education and enforcement campaigns—such as CounterAttack for impaired driving—that run throughout the year. Police regularly encourage residents to call 911 if they encounter behaviour that could put others at risk, including a suspected wrong-way driver. Timely, accurate calls help dispatchers alert officers and, when appropriate, use highway message boards to warn other drivers.
As Squamish residents know, volumes on the Sea to Sky shift with the seasons. Tourism, construction and day trips up and down the corridor add to local travel for work and errands. The mix of local and visiting drivers means a wide range of familiarity with interchanges and traffic patterns. That’s where consistent signage, clear pavement markings and good lighting matter, especially at locations where municipal streets connect to Highway 99. The District of Squamish is responsible for local roads and works with MoTI on intersections and ramps that touch the highway. Residents who regularly use an access point are often the first to see small changes—for example, a faded arrow, a sign obscured by foliage, or lighting that needs maintenance—that can quickly become safety issues if not addressed.
When wrong-way incidents make the rounds in conversation, people often ask the same questions: How does this happen, and what prevents it? Highway safety specialists point to a small set of common contributors: impairment, distraction, unfamiliarity with a complex ramp layout, and limited visibility at night or during poor weather. The design side addresses this with redundant cues—multiple signs, oversized symbols, reflectors and arrows that all “tell the same story” so drivers can quickly confirm they’re headed the right way. Enforcement and education address the human side by deterring high-risk behaviour and reinforcing habits like slowing down in the dark, scanning for multiple cues, and not relying on a single landmark or GPS instruction when approaching ramps.
Residents also ask what to do if they encounter a wrong-way driver. Police guidance is straightforward: prioritize your own safety, create space, and call 911 with as much detail as you can safely provide—location, direction of travel, vehicle description if possible. Avoid stopping in travel lanes or making sudden moves that could cause a secondary crash. If you have a dash camera, footage can be valuable for investigators. Sharing that evidence directly with RCMP is more effective than posting it online, which can make it harder for police to confirm facts and follow up efficiently.
There is also a role for day-to-day, local feedback. If you spot a sign that’s damaged, obscured, or missing along Highway 99 or its ramps, MoTI asks the public to report it. The ministry’s service channels and DriveBC provide contact information for maintenance in each highway service area, and those reports typically reach contractors quickly. For District streets that feed into the highway, residents can flag concerns—like faded arrows or confusing wayfinding—through the District’s service request system. These issues may feel small, but they’re often the easiest and fastest safety wins.
As the community digests news of a wrong-way incident, some will ask whether more can be done at specific locations around Squamish. Options commonly reviewed in safety audits include refreshing and upsizing “Do Not Enter” and “Wrong Way” signs, adding or relocating lighting, extending solid lines and directional arrows, and using flexible posts or channelization to guide drivers into the correct lane. In some cases, small geometry changes—like tightening the angle of a ramp or adding delineators—help prevent entry onto the wrong side of a divided roadway. These measures are standard in road safety toolkits and are applied where collision history, near-miss reports, engineering judgment, and local knowledge point to a need.
Education can also be strengthened at the local level. Community organizations, schools and employers often partner with RCMP and ICBC to host safety talks and seasonal reminders. These efforts can focus on the basics that reduce risk for everyone: planning trips and checking DriveBC in winter or during special events, reducing speed when sightlines are limited, and giving yourself extra time when navigating interchanges you don’t use often. With more residents installing dash cameras, there’s also an opportunity to promote responsible sharing of recordings—first with police, to support enforcement and safety reviews.
There’s a larger civic conversation here, too, about how a growing community shares a highway that is both a regional lifeline and, at times, a bottleneck. Squamish residents have consistently called for practical, near-term improvements alongside long-term planning. In the short term, that often means verifying signage and markings at key access points, continuing targeted enforcement during high-traffic periods, and keeping communication clear between MoTI, RCMP and the District when conditions change. In the long term, regional planning discussions continue around capacity, transit, and demand management along the corridor. While those larger questions take time and funding, near-miss reports and local observations are vital signals that can guide immediate fixes.
For now, here’s what we can count on. MoTI standards require wrong-way prevention signage and markings at highway ramps, and contractors respond to maintenance requests for damaged or obscured signs. Sea to Sky RCMP continues targeted enforcement and encourages residents to report hazardous driving immediately to 911. ICBC and police will again run seasonal education campaigns focused on impairment, speed and distraction—all factors that increase the severity of any error, including a wrong-way turn. These are established measures, backed by provincial practice and local experience on Highway 99.
Our newsroom has requested comment from Sea to Sky RCMP about the reported incident and whether additional patrols or signage reviews are planned. We have also asked MoTI whether any near-term changes are under consideration for Highway 99 access points in the Squamish area. We will update readers as soon as those details are confirmed.
Residents who notice a safety concern on Highway 99 can report it through DriveBC or the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure’s service channels. Concerns on District streets that connect to the highway can be submitted through the District of Squamish’s service request portal. For real-time travel alerts, check DriveBC before heading out. If you witness a dangerous situation in progress, call 911. As we wait for official updates, small, practical actions—clear reporting, careful driving, and shared responsibility—remain our best tools to keep each other safe on the road.
Editor’s note: This story will be updated when Sea to Sky RCMP or the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure provides further information. For ongoing highway advisories, visit DriveBC. For provincial safety standards and contact information, see the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure’s website. If changes are planned locally, we will share details once confirmed.
