April 05, 2017 (Quebec City, QC) – Reactions continue to make headlines regarding comments made last week on Quebec City radio by André Arthur encouraging motorists to hit winter cyclists. Now Louis Garneau, a former Olympian turned businessman has added his voice to the chorus according to the Journal de Quebec.
“Two youths passed me at 70kmh in an old SUV. The passenger threw a half-full pop can at me; I could have fallen. This could have been very serious. I have never had anything like this in my life,” related the 58-year-old Garneau who was struck on his shoulder by the pop can.
“I am that idiot of a cyclist riding in winter and who was attacked,” said Garneau in associating the aggression with the recent radio broadcast. Garneau was careful to avoid mentioning Arthur by name but alluded to the remarks made on air. Garneau added that it was a strange coincidence that this incident happened within a few days of the negative comments.
Last week, Quebec City radio and TV personality made remarks on air that apparently urged motorists to deliberately hit winter cyclists. Arthur also declared winter cyclists to be “idiots.” He excused himself the next day, claiming he meant to say that he was afraid of hitting winter cyclists.
Garneau did not file a complaint with the police because he was not able to take the license plate number of the vehicle.
Read our coverage of André Arthur’s Remarks/Apology here
Read the Journal de Montreal story on Garneau (french) here.
April 6th, 2017 at 1:32 pm
Unfortunately many drivers see us as nuisances and feel that roads are the sole domain of vehicles.
That may change if cyclist safety is part of passing a driving test for a driving licence.
What we need are bike lanes and bike trails across all cities.
Not doing that I think is a crime of omission by a municipality or county.
Those white lines give cyclists automatic legal authority, respect and most of all safety.