We’re delighted to welcome Clare Cudmore to the Bike Auckland Board. Clare is climate conscious, committed, and keen to develop her governance skills. She brings her background creating positive, safe spaces for tamariki and rangatahi. She recently completed a Masters in Design focusing on barriers to cycling. We can’t wait to see her learnings in action for the benefit of active transport in Tāmaki Makaurau.
Kia ora, I’m Clare, and I’m so excited to be joining the Board of Bike Auckland. Tāmaki Makaurau is a joy to bike around. It took me a little while to figure out some routes and build-up confidence with the traffic—since then I haven’t stopped pedalling! In fact, I love it so much that I did my Master’s thesis on barriers to cycling! By serving on the Board, I want to make sure others can enjoy Tāmaki Makaurau on a bike as much as I do.
As many have experienced, my journey to biking wasn’t a direct one. I had always intended to cycle as an adult. I bought a hardtail mountain bike with my first paycheck after university. My flatmate at the time laughed and bet it would sit unused in the garage—which proved to be true. Then I moved to Vietnam, bought another one, but couldn’t handle biking in the heat.
My bike finally made it out when I returned to Auckland during COVID. I started working in a cafe about 6km from my flat. As my confidence and bike fitness grew, so did my love for exploring by bike. I love the connection to the environment and the speed of biking through the city. Now, I have three bikes: an e-bike for shopping and commuting, a road bike for weekend rides, and my original mountain bike, which I think of as my fun bike. My partner and I often spend weekends exploring the city by bike, with many coffee stops! The e-bike is perfect so visitors—like my mum—can join in too.
I’m also interested in bikepacking and have done a couple of trips. For me, biking is the number one way to explore. It’s faster than walking so you get to see more, but slower and more connected than driving, so you can take it all in.
Beyond my love for biking, I’m motivated to reduce my carbon footprint and support a wider movement toward sustainability. Recently, I completed a Master’s in Design, and chose to focus on climate change for my final project. Did you know that transport is Tāmaki Makaurau’s biggest polluter? We can make a difference by changing how we get around. My project explored barriers to cycling and used provocation and conversation to encourage a positive shift in attitudes towards cyclists. Now I have the opportunity to put this research into practice for the benefit of people on bikes in Tāmaki Makaurau.
Serving on the Board of Bike Auckland gives me an opportunity to listen to and collaborate with many wonderful people on bikes, and a place for meaningful action and advocacy towards a cycling friendly future for everyone.
