When I think “science and scientific research”, my mind turns to life’s great unsolved mysteries.

Like answering that scientifically important question – if zombies eat humans, like on that TV show The Walking Dead, why don’t they need to go to the toilet? Surely eating a human’s intestines would mean they need a zombie toilet break or two, right?

But recently I’ve been thinking and researching about a far more practical, non-TV zombie-related science which will help improve the health of Australians.

• Laws to protect cyclists badly needed
• ‘Cyclists should be blameless in all accidents’
• Why cyclists are actually a motorist’s best friend
• Bike tools every cyclist should own

Specifically, the science behind what’s needed to encourage more Australians to ride a bike, get active and be a lot less like zombies, so to speak.

Let’s start with the science on why it’s so important to get active.

Firstly, medical evidence shows a strong link between not moving enough and preventable (and killer) diseases like cardiovascular disease, heart attack, Type 2 diabetes, some types of cancer – including bowel and breast cancer – stroke and depression.

So Australians who are not active are at high risk of these diseases. And worse, they are at high risk of dying as a result of them.

Better infrastructure the key to promoting bike riding.

The latest research shows around 13 per cent of all deaths in Australia are related to a lack of physical activity. That’s more than 19,000 people dying from something that’s preventable.

While the news is bad for all of us, for Australian women, it’s particularly bleak. Women are far less likely to ride a bike or get active at all. The statistics show only 12.4 per cent of women surveyed in 2013 ride a bike every week (20.9 per cent of men had).

The wider physical activity statistics show women are less active than men in sport (two per cent overall), and though they may live longer than men at the moment, if they don’t move, they live longer with the effects of chronic disease.

Bike riding = improved health.

This all sounds as depressing as a zombie TV series storyline – but there is hope!

Australia has a simple solution to the lack of physical activity problems it faces. Encourage women to get active by riding a bike by building bike infrastructure specifically for cyclists.

There have been a host of studies done on what stops people jumping on two wheels for trips to work, school or the shops – and many of these wouldn’t be surprising to most of us:

• Being risk averse: people don’t want to ride too close to cars and trucks out of fear for their safety;
• Lack of bicycle infrastructure: there’s no “safe” way to get to school or the shops;
• Traffic speed limits: especially where cars are travelling quicker than 60km/h put people off riding a bike.

These responses have been called gender specific by researchers – as women are seen to be much more risk averse than men.

What the science shows is that where proper infrastructure is built, separated from cars and trucks, high-speed motor vehicles and linked to the places like shops, work and childcare, more women will ride and by extension more people overall.

Bicycle Network’s data backs this theory as during their Super Tuesday annual bike commuter count revealed that where infrastructure improved more women rode a bike.

On Swanston Street in Melbourne, the percentage of women riding increased from 26 per cent before separated lanes were built there, to 39 per cent after they were built, and overall rider numbers of both men and women doubled.

This is why women are seen (in scientific terms) as the bike riding “indicator species”.

With more women riding, more people will be getting active and healthy, fewer people will be getting preventable disease, and we’ll all be much happier.

Plus, if you continue sitting on the couch and not moving, you could end up looking and acting like a TV zombie.

In which case, if you have any insight into the whole zombie/toilet issue, let me know.

Melissa Heagney is Editor of Ride On, Bicycle Network’s membership magazine. To find out more about Bicycle Network visit www.bicyclenetwork.com.au