Many of us in Squamish spend hours each week on and around Highway 99—commuting to work, shuttling kids to activities, and welcoming visitors who come for the trails and the views. That’s why any report of wrong-way driving on the corridor lands close to home. A local resident recently experienced a wrong-way driving incident, and while details are limited, it serves as a clear reminder that road safety on the Sea to Sky remains a shared responsibility, and that small improvements—both in driving habits and infrastructure—can make a real difference.
Wrong-way driving is rare, but it’s among the most dangerous scenarios on any highway because it can lead to head-on collisions. The Squamish RCMP emphasizes that anyone who encounters a suspected wrong-way driver should find a safe place to pull over and call 911, providing location, direction of travel, and any vehicle details if it’s safe to do so. Police use those calls to quickly coordinate a response. As always, drivers should avoid taking any direct action to stop another vehicle; the priority is to create space, move to the right if needed, and alert authorities.
Highway 99 is a complex corridor. It carries commuters, commercial vehicles, tourists unfamiliar with the route, and recreational traffic that ebbs and flows with the season. The road shifts between two and four lanes. It has stretches with limited lighting, and weather can change quickly. All of that means simple errors—missing a sign, making a wrong turn at night, or getting confused at an access point—can escalate. The provincial Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) manages Highway 99 and maintains the signage, markings, and safety features on it, while local RCMP handle enforcement. The District of Squamish coordinates with the Province on highway matters and fields resident concerns about local access and circulation that tie into 99.
Over the years the Province has invested heavily in the Sea to Sky corridor, including upgrades ahead of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. That work improved alignment, added passing opportunities, installed centreline and shoulder rumble strips in many sections, and expanded median barriers in select areas where the highway’s width and terrain allow. Today, drivers will also find reflective delineators, high-visibility guide signs, and, in some locations, dynamic message signs that warn about incidents or weather. The fundamentals are there, but as traffic grows and patterns shift, the small details—like sign placement at ramps, arrow markings on the pavement, and lighting at decision points—matter more than ever.
Local conversations after a wrong-way report often gravitate to a few practical questions: Are off-ramps and on-ramps clearly signed and lit in the areas where visitors are most likely to make a mistake? Do pavement arrows still stand out at night and in the rain? Are “Do Not Enter” and “Wrong Way” signs positioned where a confused driver would actually see them? Those are the kinds of items that MOTI safety engineers routinely review using provincial standards, and that maintenance contractors monitor through the year. Rumble strips, fresh line paint with higher reflectivity, and well-placed reflective markers can also help drivers recognize they’re not in the correct lane sooner.
Enforcement and education continue to be part of the picture. Squamish RCMP and partner agencies support seasonal enforcement campaigns that target impairment, distraction, and speeding—factors that can increase the risk and severity of any incident. ICBC’s CounterAttack impaired driving campaign, routinely supported by police across B.C., returns each summer and again during the winter holiday period, and additional targeted enforcement happens year-round. Safe driving basics remain the strongest defenses against unusual hazards: plan the route before you go, avoid last-minute lane changes, slow down in poor visibility, and never drive impaired or fatigued. If you’re guiding visiting friends or family, especially those arriving after dark, a quick heads-up about local access points and common merges can go a long way.
The district’s role is to advocate, coordinate, and gather community feedback. Highway 99 is a provincial route, but local streets, neighbourhood growth, and new activity hubs influence how and where people enter the highway. Residents who notice confusing signage or near-misses at access points can report those observations through the District of Squamish service request page, and they can also share input during transportation-related consultations on the District’s public engagement site. The District relays location-specific concerns to MOTI and, where needed, requests a safety review. These reviews can examine driver sightlines, sign visibility, and the layout of ramps and intersections; they can also consider low-cost measures such as additional reflective markers, refreshed paint, or relocating signs for better angles.
Community advocates have also pointed to tools used elsewhere in B.C. that could be assessed for suitability here. Examples include enhanced “Wrong Way” and “Do Not Enter” signs with larger fonts or higher reflectivity, supplementary pavement markings with directional arrows and red reflective tabs on the backs of markers to alert drivers travelling the wrong direction, and, in select environments, solar-powered flashing beacons that activate when a vehicle enters a ramp against the intended flow. Not every tool fits every location—terrain, weather, and maintenance access all matter—but each can be evaluated against provincial standards to see where they might add value along the corridor.
While infrastructure tweaks help, behaviour is still the foundation. Many local families drive Highway 99 daily—school runs to Valleycliffe or Garibaldi Highlands, commutes to the city, trips to Whistler for tournaments—and most of those trips happen without incident because drivers anticipate the unexpected. That means adopting habits that build in a margin of safety: easing off the throttle at night and in heavy rain, leaving space ahead in case someone brakes hard or drifts across lines, and scanning far ahead for unusual headlight patterns. If something doesn’t look right, slowing early gives you more options.
It’s also useful to remember that congestion can increase wrong turns. On sunny weekends and during peak tourism periods, visitors may be using navigation apps that sometimes suggest last-second lane changes. When traffic is heavy, patience and predictable driving help everyone. Give merging vehicles space, signal early, and expect that not everyone around you knows the road. For professional drivers and frequent commuters, a little grace for those learning our local patterns makes the whole corridor safer.
From an accountability standpoint, the path forward is straightforward. Residents flag concerns; the District compiles and shares those with the Province; MOTI evaluates them against standards and available data; and RCMP target enforcement where risk appears highest. When the community participates—by reporting specific locations, times of day, and conditions—it gives engineers and officers the detail they need to focus resources. If a pattern emerges at a particular ramp or access point, that’s when signage changes or other measures can be prioritized.
We have requested information from Squamish RCMP about recent wrong-way driving reports in the area and any enforcement steps underway. We have also asked the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure if signage or lane-marking reviews are planned at local ramps and intersections. We will share updates as soon as those details are confirmed.
In the meantime, drivers who witness unsafe behaviour or a possible wrong-way vehicle should safely pull over and call 911. For broader travel planning and real-time incident alerts, DriveBC provides updates on the Sea to Sky corridor, including closures, delays, and weather advisories. Residents can also watch the District of Squamish website and social channels for notices about local transportation projects, and continue sending in specific, location-based feedback that helps shape safety improvements.
Highway safety is a long game—steady attention, small fixes, and day-to-day courtesy add up. The recent wrong-way report is a prompt to look again at the details: signs that shine a bit brighter at night, lines that stand out in the rain, and habits that give us time to react when something unexpected happens. Together, that’s how we keep our families, neighbours, and visitors safe on the road we all share.
For updates: check DriveBC for current highway conditions and incidents, follow Squamish RCMP for enforcement notices, and visit the District of Squamish’s transportation pages for information on local projects and how to submit road-safety feedback. We will continue to report any confirmed actions from RCMP and the Ministry related to signage reviews or other safety improvements on Highway 99.
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