As some residents likely know, I'm a gadget geek. And, as I'm sure has escaped no one's attention, I get around almost exclusively by bike. It's a real pleasure, then, to have recently been asked by Safer Roads Ottawa's Rob Wilkinson to take part in a one-month trial of a new helmet, the Lumos.
It's a brand new helmet that incorporates - get this - turn signals, in addition to built in front and rear lights.
The City has purchased 12 of these, and they've asked some cycling councillors, by-law officers, paramedics, City staff and Citizens for Safe Cycling to try them out for a month. The City has multiple staff who ride bikes as part of their job, and those staff are on the road a lot, and often in the evening. The trial is to see whether these helmets will help make those staff safer.
The helmets have to go back at the end of November, and Rob will be seeking feedback on how they work under different conditions, how easy they are to use, how they charge and any other feedback. They'll be cleaned and likely used as raffle prizes in future SRO events.
