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An Ottawa police traffic sergeant has asked the province to change the wording of proposed distracted driving legislation so that police can lay charges against cyclists using their cellphones on Ottawa streets.

Sgt. Mark Gatien of the traffic enforcement unit made submissions to the provincial committee overseeing Bill 31 this week asking for clear language governing not only cellphone use but also how tinted vehicle windows can be.

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The currently proposed wording in the bill is to ban cellphone use by an operator of a “motor vehicle,” but Gatien would like to see that changed to “vehicle” to include bikes and road-building machines.

The officer said the force has received many public complaints about cyclists talking or using the phones while riding their bikes.

Gatien also asked that amendments be made to the legislation surrounding tinted windows. As the legislation stands, it’s very difficult for police to get a conviction because the infraction isn’t well-defined. Gatien wants to measure the window tint with a photometric meter — a device that generates its own light and then measures how much light passes through the tinted window — and have the legislation allow any result below 70 per cent on the meter be subject to fine, if the officer deems necessary.