SF activists protect Mission bike lane with their bodies

Movement founder Maureen Persico (left) greets fellow San Francisco bike riders before the group created a human chain to separate the bike lane from the car lane on Valencia Street in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, May 25, 2017. less Movement founder Maureen Persico (left) greets fellow San Francisco bike riders before the group created a human chain to separate the bike lane from the car lane on Valencia Street in San Francisco, Calif., on ... more Photo: Scott Strazzante, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Scott Strazzante, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 10 Caption Close SF activists protect Mission bike lane with their bodies 1 / 10 Back to Gallery

As cyclists pedaled along Valencia Street in the Mission, they came upon a pleasant surprise when they reached 16th Street: A line of people in mustard-yellow T-shirts spread along the length of the block, protecting the bike lane with their bodies and fending off the cars that often use it for double-parking.

“Welcome to your protected bike lane! It’s all for you!” Maureen Persico shouted at cyclists as they approached, merrily rattling a cowbell to get their attention.

The chain of about 55 people Thursday night was the second of its kind on Valencia Street this month. It drew a varied crowd — old and young, teachers and tech entrepreneurs — who were united by a shared frustration with the dangers of cycling in San Francisco.

“I’m helping to organize this protected bike lane because clearly our city officials lack the political will to do this, and it’s only by putting our bodies on the line that we’re going to show that this is an important issue,” said Persico, 53, who has been biking in San Francisco for 17 years.

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and other activist groups want more of the city to follow the example of Valencia Street further south, on the stretch from Cesar Chavez to Mission streets where parking separates the bike lane from vehicle traffic.

When paint is the only thing distinguishing a bike lane from the rest of the street, it’s easy for cars to use the bike lane space for double-parking, forcing cyclists to navigate around them and into traffic, cyclists say. Observers who counted the number of cars using Valencia Street bike lanes as a loading zone one evening in 2016 found that 53 cars blocked the lane on one side of the street between 6 and 7 p.m.

“My wife is forced to veer into traffic and I’m worried about her safety every day on her ride home from the school where she teaches to our neighborhood,” said Matt Brezina, 36.

Brezina said two of his coworkers have broken elbows cycling, and his wife and one coworker have both been injured on the same treacherous stretch of Sanchez and 17th streets — a hotspot for accidents because bikes sometimes get caught in the Muni tracks.

Three or four cyclists were killed in San Francisco each year from 2013 to 2016, and one person has died in 2017, according to statistics released by the city

On June 22, 2016, two female cyclists were killed by cars on the same day, which brought more attention to the issue but didn’t lead to widespread changes, activists say.

“At those two locations, they went and made protected bike lanes. They got it done in nine or 10 months, because the press was so bad. But there are dozens and dozens of miles of streets that are just as dangerous,” Brezina said.

Roger Rudick, 47, who runs Streetsblog San Francisco, wore a “Ride of Silence 2017” shirt on Thursday. The annual ride memorializes cyclists killed in accidents by slowly and silently visiting the spots where they died, he said.

“It’s really disturbing,” he said of the number of fatalities. “It is truly carnage.”

Despite the seriousness of the problem, there was a festive mood of camaraderie in the air on Valencia Street on Thursday, with some passing drivers offering a thumbs up and many cyclists holding out a hand for high-fives as they rode along the line of bike lane protectors.

“It’s really rewarding to see the response,” said Zachary Browne, 27, as a woman pedaled past and smiled, a baby fastened to the front of her bicycle.

“Look at this!” he said, gesturing at the mother and child. “It’s so cool.”

Filipa Ioannou is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: fioannou@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @obioannoukenobi