Burbank bicyclist welcomes citation for breaking the law at disputed bridge
Burbank resident and cycling enthusiast Doug Weiskopf is opposed to the prohibition of walking bicycles across Mariposa Street bridge, which spans the L.A. River from Burbank to Griffith Park.
It has been about three months since the Burbank City Council voted to ban bicycles from the Mariposa Street bridge. However, one bicyclist continues to express his disapproval of the rule, even it if means getting a citation or being arrested.
On May 1, resident Doug Weiskopf tested the city’s ordinance regarding the bridge — which bars people from riding, walking or carrying a bicycle on the 140-foot span. He took his black bike and pushed it from the Burbank side to the Griffith Park side.
Instead of waiting for Burbank police to drive out to the bridge, Weiskopf called them himself and asked for an officer to cite him or arrest him for breaking the law. Law enforcement never arrived at the site and he only received a warning.
With a bicycle parked nearby, Rocken P Stables horseback riding guide Alyssa Conklin, left, leads two riders towards the Mariposa Street bridge in Burbank.
“I’m perfectly willing to accept a citation from the Burbank police for walking across the bridge,” he said one Thursday morning as he stood on the Griffith Park side of the span. “They told me that a police officer needs to see me do it, and I told them that I would reenact the crime. I just want to get my ticket and have my day in court.”
Should someone violate the ordinance, the city attorney can file the violation as an infraction or a misdemeanor.
An infraction would result in a $100 fine for the first violation, $200 for the second and $500 for the third and any subsequent violation.
A misdemeanor would mean a $1,000 fine and possibly six months in jail, Burbank spokesman Drew Sugars said in an email.
Weiskopf’s goal is to receive a citation from police and challenge it in court to see if a judge would rule in his favor.
Somebody calling on themselves because they are crossing a bridge is not going to be on the top of the list of the calls we’re going to go to.
— Burbank Police Sgt. Claudio Losacco
“My lawyer said the only thing I could do is keep violating the law and let [police] give you a ticket and for a judge to say that this is a bunch of B.S. or say that the law is good and give me a fine,” he said. “I like my chances.”
Burbank Police Sgt. Claudio Losacco said that like any violation, it is at the discretion of the officer to issue a citation, give a warning or file a report. In Weiskopf’s case where he called on himself, the incident would be put in the queue.
Burbank resident and cycling enthusiast Doug Weiskopf walks his bike across the Mariposa Street bridge in violation of a recent city ordinance.
“Somebody calling on themselves because they are crossing a bridge is not going to be on the top of the list of the calls we’re going to go to,” Losacco said.
Council members unanimously approved the ban on bicycles on the bridge in February after dozens of equestrians told them that bikes and horses do not mix because the animals spook easily, which poses a threat to the rider and any pedestrian using the bridge.
Council members decided in December to allow bicyclists to walk or carry their bike on the bridge, but some equestrians believed that bicyclists would not comply. Council members then decided to ban bikes completely.
Resident and equestrian Jay Geisenheimer said she and others in the horse-riding community are upset over Weiskopf’s actions earlier this month, saying that he has made a bad impression for other bicyclists.
“He has no respect for anyone, any horse or any law or ordinance,” she said. “The fact that he brags about it is even more offensive than not obeying it.”
Geisenheimer added that the reason why equestrians and bicyclists cannot get along is because “cyclists have an attitude, an attitude of ownership of the road.”
“They have 1,100 miles of bicycle paths, and we have 54 miles of horse trails,” she said. “Is there really any comparison?”
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Anthony Clark Carpio, anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com
Twitter: @acocarpio
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