VIDEO: Cookham comedian enlists TV alter-ego to revive village cycling plan

A Cookham comedian has enlisted the help of her TV alter-ego to help resurrect a plan for a new safe cycling route around Cookham.

Eline Van Der Velden is campaigning for better cycling paths in the village to ease ‘dangerous’ traffic congestion and pollution.

Her goal is to revive plans for a Cookham Cycle Track, originally proposed in 2019 by the Copas family, which would see the introduction of multiple cycle paths on private farmland.

Dutch-born comedian and producer Eline, 38, has now released a video which depicts her TV character ‘Miss Holland’ pushing her bicycle around Cookham and encountering bin lorries, buses and angry drivers on the village’s narrow roads.

Eline told the Advertiser: “I thought this would be a fun way to look at it. Comedy spreads faster and I thought it would be a nice way to get everyone involved.

“We tried to get people in there from Cookham Dean, Cookham Rye and Cookham village so everyone felt represented.”

Last year, the Cookham Dean resident launched a petition on change.org calling for the introduction an off-road safe cycling route.

The petition, which has been signed by more than 2000 people, says a cycling route connecting Cookham with Maidenhead and Bourne End would encourage villagers to lead ‘happier and healthier’ lifestyles.

She added: “The point is, everybody moves to Cookham or Maidenhead for fresh air and enjoying nature and the countryside.

“Instead, we just spend all our time in our cars.”

Other suggestions to make Cookham more pedestrian and cyclist-friendly include the establishment of ‘Quiet Lanes’.

This is a scheme predominantly used on rural routes where signs are erected to warn drivers to drive slowly and respect pedestrians and cyclists who may be using the road.

Eline said she wants to be able to take her daughter to school in Cookham by bicycle without the current safety fears which exist.

When the original plans for a Cookham Cycle Track were presented to the council’s Local Access Forum in 2019, the scheme was described as a ‘long-term ambition’ but it has not rolled on any further.

Eline added: “I’m working with the council and they’ve been really positive. They are looking to resolve this and we have a meeting again in April.

“This is a must because we’ve got these big developments coming so to get the infrastructure sorted should really be a priority for everybody.”

You can view Eline’s petition here: https://www.change.org/p/implement-a-safe-off-road-cycling-path-network-in-cookham-and-maidenhead