Venturing downtown this weekend? Remember, it's Pride weekend and the Three Rivers Arts Fest. And the Pittsburgh Police have announced street closures for Pride weekend festivities.

Beginning at 4 a.m., Sat., June 15, Liberty Avenue will be closed to vehicular traffic between 9th and 10th Streets and Smithfield Street from Liberty to 7th for Pride in the Street. The streets will close Saturday morning and remain closed through 11 p.m. Sun., June 16, according to police. Pride in the Street runs from 5:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.

At 6 a.m. Sunday, police say the Liberty Avenue street closure will expand to 6th Street, Tito Way, 6th Avenue, 7th Street, Wood Street, 9th Street and 7th Avenue for PrideFest.

Also on Sunday, there will be limited closures for the Pride March that takes place from noon to 1 p.m. through downtown.

On-street parking will also be restricted Sunday on the Boulevard of the Allies from Grant Street to Market Street, Fifth Avenue between Grant Street and Liberty Avenue and Liberty Avenue between Fifth and Seventh.

The Port Authority has also announced bus detours and temporary stop changes for Pride events.

Cycling advocacy group BikePGH launched the I <3 My Bike program with the hopes of making it easier to find stolen bikes by taking photos of owners with their rides, as well as the bike's identifying information and serial numbers for a private database.

And so far, it's working.

On Thurs., June 13, BikePGH posted on its Facebook page that Harmony Venturino's bike was stolen. The post on Facebook quickly was shared around the community, reaching more than 5,500 people. And within the hour, according to BikePGH, a person in the community found Venturino's lavender Schwinn Sprint.

"As we all understand my bike is more than just something to do to pass time. I fell in love with it and was becoming a good cyclist," Venturino said in a press release distributed by BikePGH. "My bike is unique just like I am, and I was so happy to find that it was found."

Rebecca Susman, Membership & Outreach Manager for BikePGH, said the bike was stolen from Oakland and recovered in Wilkinsburg. The thief had ditched the bike, and the community member saw the posting online. BikePGH connected the pair, and Venturino got her bike back.

Susman started the program after hearing about something similar at a conference a few years ago. And she knows from personal experience hAnd while BikePGH members had an informal way of reporting stolen or lost bikes on its message board, the database offers additional information such as make, model, serial number and other identifying characteristics.

"We had a fairly good track record of the community finding bikes," Susman tells City Paper. "But we wanted a more concrete way of finding them."

Since launching the program, Susman says almost 500 bikes are in the private database.

"We're really excited by the response," she says.

Cyclists can have their photos taken with their bikes at The Three Rivers Arts festival, and the photos will be posted to Flickr.

If you plan to ride the bus this weekend, take note: Pride events take place Downtown AND the Port Authority is implementing routine service changes to 70 routes.

For Pride, Port Authority has announced several detours and temporary stop changes.

You can view Saturday's detour affected by the closure of Smithfield and Liberty for Pride in the Streets here. Detours for Sunday's Pride Awareness March can be found here for 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., with the rest of Sunday's transit changes here.

The agency is encouraging riders to allow extra time when traveling this weekend. Minor detours for other events will also be in effect in Downtown and nearby areas this weekend.

Details are available on Port Authority's website. For more information, visit www.portauthority.org or call Customer Service at 412-442-2000 (TTY: 412-231-7007).

As part of the agency's regular four-time yearly schedule adjustments, more than 70 Port Authority bus routes will see changes on Sunday.

Approximately 45 bus routes will be adjusted. Among the changes are tweaks to routes affected by the ongoing weight restriction on Swissvale’s Kenmawr Bridge, as well as changes to better serve Bedford Avenue in the Hill District, according to the agency.

Port Authority will also begin bus-stop consolidations. Nearly 430 stops that see little to no use will be eliminated Sunday.

Details on the service changes and links to new schedules are now posted at www.portauthority.org under “Service Changes" and are available here.

Paper schedules will be available prior to the changes.

• Third Avenue Bike Station's fix-it area

For a few months now, cyclists have been able to park their bicycles at the Third Avenue Bike Station — a transformed space in the Pittsburgh Parking Authority's Third Avenue Garage. That area offers a fix-it space and parking for 30 bikes.

And starting July, a "premium" parking area — a fenced in section accessible only by a badge that opens a magnetic door — will be available for cyclists who want to lease an area with secure, weather-protected storage lockers and parking for 24 bicycles.

“Providing cyclists with safe, secure parking for their bikes is another step forward in making Pittsburgh a world-class, bike-friendly city,” Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said in a press release announcing the station. “Project Pop Up: Downtown has made great strides in increasing Downtown’s vibrancy and bringing more people into the heart of our city. This collaborative project will make shopping, dining and entertainment amenities more accessible to cyclists as we continue to make Pittsburgh an even more livable city for everyone.”

Annual leases for the premium space are $100 and will run from July 1, 2013, through June 30, 2014. Leases will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Cyclists interested can call 412-560-2504 for more details.

The bike station was led by the city's cycling advocate group, BikePGH, with a $10,000 grant from the city's Project Pop Up: Downtown program, $7,200 from the Pittsburgh Parking Authority, and the donation of parts and labor by the PSX Group, one a Parking Authority contractor, worth $4,200.

• Third Avenue Bike Station premium parking area

Spotted this one on Bike Pittsburgh's website this morning: the bike advocacy organization will again sponsor bike-valet parking at the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival. And, cyclists are being invited to participate in the "I <3 My Bike" program at the valet tent.

Cyclists will have the chance to get their photo taken with their bikes on a backdrop of the city's skyline. Their name, serial number and bike description will also be collected for a private database. If the bike is ever stolen, Bike Pittsburgh will provide the information and photo to police as proof ownership.

Cyclists don't have to be a Bike Pittsburgh member to participate. The program operates at the valet tent from noon to 9 p.m. on Saturdays, and from noon to 8 p.m. on Sundays. Valet is free; and you don't need to bring your own lock.

For more on bike culture events at the Arts Festival, visit here.

The City of Pittsburgh today began installing 50 bike racks Downtown as part of a strategy to install more racks in business districts.

More than 150 racks have been installed from South Side to Bloomfield, and there are now more than 500 city-installed racks around town, according to Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's office.

“From installing green bike lanes [on Liberty Avenue in Bloomfield] and launching a citywide bike-share system, to increasing the number of bike racks, lanes and on-street corrals — we continue to work to make Pittsburgh a world-class, bike-friendly city,” Ravenstahl said in a press release.

The mayor's office says inverted "U" racks will be installed Downtown based on demand and supply. The racks cost $100 and also will also be installed in Lawrenceville and Squirrel Hill.

Service on Port Authority buses will be "extensively detoured" this weekend due to street closures for the Dick's Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon and related events, the transit agency announced today.

Additional service will also be implemented on the busways, inclines and light-rail systems for runners to get to the downtown starting line.

The agency will detour approximately 50 buses from the start of service and until about 3 p.m. during the full marathon. Riders should anticipate delays and allow for extra time.

Here's some more information from an advisory the agency sent out today:

— In Downtown, buses will be rerouted to stops near Steel Plaza T station, where riders may transfer to the T for free. Routes normally serving Squirrel Hill and Oakland will not serve Oakland during the marathon, but a free shuttle will be available to take riders between the neighborhoods. Riders heading to Children’s Hospital from Downtown can use the rerouted 64 Lawrenceville-Waterfront bus route, since the 88 Penn won't reach the hospital because of street closures.

— Additional, smaller detours will be in effect in Downtown and on the North Side on Friday and Saturday for marathon events.

— On Sunday, light rail service will begin around 4 a.m. and both inclines will open at 5 a.Riders should anticipate delays and allow for extra time.

For more information, visit the authority's marathon information page, or call Customer Service at 412-442-2000 (TTY 412-231-7007).

Light-rail service on the Red Line will be detoured occasionally through the spring and summer for track repairs in Beechview.

The authority will perform rail work on the following weekends:

• April 27-28 (inbound)
• May 11-12 (inbound)
• May 18-19 (inbound)
• July 20-21 (direction to be announced)
• July 27-28 (if needed)

The T will detour between Overbrook Junction and South Hills Junction on the scheduled weekends. During the work, service to Red Line stops will be provided by detoured Red Line service, bus shuttles and local light-rail shuttles.

For this coming weekend, inbound Red Line service will use the regular route from South Hills Village to Overbrook Junction/Willow, then detour via the Blue Line’s routing until South Hills Junction. Inbound light rail shuttles will run from Overbrook Junction to Potomac Station, and inbound T stops from Potomac to South Hills Junction/Station Square will be served by bus shuttles. Outbound Red Line will be regular route.

The repair schedule is subject to weather and other factors. The authority will release detour information prior to each weekend closure. The agency cautions riders to allow for extra time when traveling through the detours.

For more information, visit the authority's website, or call Customer Service at 412-442-2000 (TTY 412-231-7007).

A portion of the East Busway will be closed this weekend for construction, affecting the P1 East Busway-All Stops route.

Closures begin midnight, Sat., April 13, and will end early Monday morning. The P1 will be detoured from Downtown through East Liberty during the construction. It will not serve Penn, Herron, Negley or East Liberty stations and will use Bigelow Boulevard, Baum Boulevard and Penn Avenue between Downtown and the busway ramp at Port Authority’s East Liberty bus garage. Temporary stops will be located near the stations: Bigelow at Herron, Baum at Roup/Negley and Penn near the East Liberty Target.

A full list of detours can be found here.

The Port Authority suggests P1 riders allow for extra travel time during the detour.

For more information, visit the Port Authority's website, or call Customer Service at 412-442-2000 or for TTY, 412-231-7007.