At the seat of city government Wednesday, officials took a small step in the fight against air pollution and obesity – not with any resolution or ordinance, but with helmets, bike racks and Spandex.

“As Evanston becomes more and more environmentally conscious and we worry about obesity and getting in shape, biking to work really makes a lot of sense,” said Jay Terry, Evanston’s director of health and human services, after biking to work from his northwest Evanston home.

More than 35 bikers met in the Evanston Civic Center parking lot, 2100 Ridge Ave., before going to work for the city’s first “Bike-to-Work Day” rally. The bikers included Terry, City Manager Julia Carroll, Fire Chief Alan Berkowsky and Chief of Police Frank Kaminski, all of whom left their cars home for the day.

The event included bikers from Evanston, Chicago, Wilmette and Skokie. Extra bike racks were brought in to accommodate more bicycles.

Carroll, wearing a silvery helmet, presented the city’s bike plan, which would make Evanston more accessible to bicycles by creating on- and off-road paths by 2007. The plan is funded by federal grants.

Evanston has the highest number of people biking to work in northeast Illinois according to the 1990 Census, Carroll said. The goal of the plan would be to promote the continuation of this behavior in the future, she said.

Decked in neon yellows and greens and brilliant whites, members of the Evanston Bike Club, the rally’s sponsor, bestowed checks totaling $2,000 to the city government. The money will go toward the purchase of new bike racks and to a bike safety program supported by the Evanston Police Department. The club raised the funds through their annual charity ride last year called North Shore Century.

“Every week is ‘Bike-to-Work Week’ for me,” said Neal Ney, the club’s president. Ney, director of the Evanston Public Library, bikes to work regularly, even in the winter. With a bicycle and a credit card, he also embarks on trips across the Midwest for three to four days at a time.

More than 60 percent of Americans are overweight, according to a 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, one of the most definitive assessments of Americans’ weight. Many people do not have time in their schedules for physical activity, but biking to work is a good way to fit in that exercise, Terry said.

“It felt good riding in this morning,” he said.

Bicycling can be enjoyable and safe if a few simple suggestions are followed, Kaminski said. Cyclists should wear a helmet and use hand signals when on the road, he said.

“The problem we always have is coexisting with some of the vehicular traffic that’s out there,” he said.

Dave McWhinnie, a Skokie resident, pointed to a small mirror fastened to his helmet, serving as a rear-view mirror.

“I’m always watching to make sure no one’s creeping up behind me,” he said.

Reach Jenny Song at [email protected].