Bicyclist’s attempt to overturn Burbank ordinance fizzles out in court

A local bicycling advocate has given up his fight in reversing a city law prohibiting bicycles on the Mariposa Street bridge after months of hoping to bring his case before a jury.

Doug Weiskopf has admitted to flouting the Burbank ordinance multiple times in the past for the purpose of being given a citation and taking his case to court. He previously said the 2016 law, which called for a ban on bicycles on the bridge, was impossible to enforce and should be repealed.

The law was enacted after the local equestrian community argued that bikes crossing the Mariposa bridge could potentially spook a horse and endanger its rider and any nearby pedestrian.

Weiskopf has said taking his case to court would highlight how the ban shouldn’t have been enacted.

Last December, he got his wish when the Burbank Police Department issued him a citation for allegedly crossing the bridge with a bike.

However, after months of trying to take the case to court, he abandoned his fight last Friday.

The city of Burbank offered Weiskopf a diversion in the case, according to Denny Wei, senior assistant city attorney.

As of now, Weiskopf faces $100 per charge. After the bridge incident, he faces $200 in fines, which, with penalty assessments, comes to about $1,000, Wei said.

But, if Weiskopf doesn’t violate any city codes, including those involving riding or walking a bike across the Mariposa bridge for a year, the city will drop the charges and assessments, Wei added.

Weiskopf said he considered continuing his fight against the law but acquiesced to the offer after receiving no support from the local bicycling community and that he was “alone in this fight.”

“The outcome could have turned out different had the so-called local ‘bicycle advocate groups,’ bike shop owners and the many cyclists in the area cared enough about their rights in Burbank to fight for them,” he said.

andy.nguyen@latimes.com

Twitter: @Andy_Truc