An Ontario government committee is looking into including a proposed ban on texting and biking in the province's new distracted driving legislation.

Ottawa Police Sgt. Mark Gatien made a written submission to the committee, arguing that cyclists and construction vehicles should be included in Bill 31.

A ban on biking and texting is needed, Gatien told CTV Ottawa, because right now officers' hands are tied when it comes to distracted cyclists.

"My concern is that when you get distracted on the bicycle and you turn into the path of a car that's off to your left, then there is an extreme danger because when it's cyclist versus car, the cyclist is always going to lose," he said.

Several MPPs on the committee said the inclusion of cyclists in the new legislation is worth consideration.

"I've seen it myself," Liberal MPP Mike Colle told CTV Toronto. "I've seen cyclists on the phone while they're on their bicycle, so I think it's a worthy submission that the committee should look at seriously."

Conservative MPP Michael Harris echoed the sentiment.

"Clearly it was something that was perhaps missed with the simple language referring to motor vehicles versus all vehicles like bikes," he said. "It's a worthy change and I look forward to proposing it as an amendment for the government to take into consideration."

A spokesperson for the ministry of transportation says while the ban isn’t in the bill right now, the government is open to anything that improves road safety.

In a couple of months, the committee will make its final recommendations and re-submit the bill for a final vote.

With files from CTV Toronto and CTV Ottawa