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Back in the day, I used to occasionally write "Bike Weekend" posts when there were multiple great events going on at the same time. Ever since I started writing "The Week in Livable Streets Events" on Monday, I've stopped doing those. However, this weekend there are three events going on across the city, at nearly the same time, each of which is a worthy undertaking in its own right. Evert weekend is a bike weekend in a city with the vibrant bike culture that we have, if you can't find a group ride, you're not really trying, but this Saturday is special because it has some great ways to have some fun and help make Los Angeles better.

Last year, the ArtCycle event was one of the best examples of Angelenos embracing bike culture, the local art scene and their community.  Last year ArtCycle featured a series of group rides visiting local art studios, a block party in Hel-Mel, and several different film makers shooting videos including Streetfilms' Clarence Eckerson who shot the "Los Angeles Streetfilm of the Year" for 2009 which can be viewed above.  This year's event will be even bigger with ArtCycle also being used to build momentum for the East Hollywood Neighborhood Council's vision of more park space for their community.

Tomorrow, Metro will be hosting the much discussed Town Hall meeting with Senator Barbara Boxer and USDOT Secretary Ray LaHood about the priorities for the next reauthorization of the Federal Transportation Trust Fund. LA Streetsblog will be in attendance to provide the best coverage we can.

Los Angeles Streetsblog will be taking Monday off to celebrate President's Day.  If you can't help yourself and need a fix of transportation headlines, some of the other Streetsblogs will be doing a "Today's Headlines" post.  I wish you all a safe and happy Valentine's Day and President's Day.  If nothing else, I hope you can avoid the former police chief from Riverside while you're on the road.

UC Berkeley professor Michael Jerrett strongly suggests in a new study that reducing the traffic near people's homes could have a dramatic impact on the health of the children living near public streets.

The Los Angeles Department of Transportation reported on the success that car-sharing has had in the areas around USC and UCLA where spaces were installed on the streets around campus on September 14 of last year.  The preliminary report showed that by adding the new spaces, which totaled twelve new spaces and cars for the entire city, membership in ZipCar jumped by thirty-five percent, which was the growth expected in the first year.  ZipCar staff also noted that the cars are being rented for more hours than expected per day.  They attributed the success to the "strong anchors" of the college campuses and the visibility offered by having the spaces appear on the streets.

This is an interesting week, as there's a lot of important, but very different, meetings and events on the calendar.

A lot of you know I'm not one to toot my own horn; but you also know that when a blog wins an award such as L.A. Weekly's "Top Local Activist Website" that it's not just a reflection on me as the editor.  It's a reflection on the work everyone does that writes a story, fills in for a day, writes a comment, or sends a story idea along.  So thanks everyone, we're making a difference!

In March 2009, the Urban and Environmental Policy Institute at Occidental College produced the L.A. Bike Summit. The event was a smashing success with over twenty workshops and participants from around the world, bringing together hundreds of bicyclists to celebrate, debate, and advance the growing Los Angeles bike movement. Thanks to all the great folks who lead workshops last year!