‘Astonishingly high’ demand for Bike Bunkers will result in loss of car spaces

Dublin City Council are designing policy to facilitate the expansion of their Bike Bunkers programme, with over 3,000 requests for secure cycle storage spaces

Add to preferred sources Comments News Stephen Holland Local Democracy Reporter 17:30, 10 Sep 2026 Updated 17:30, 10 Sep 2026 View Image The Bike Bunkers installed by Dublin City Council (Image: Dublin City Council)

Dublin City Council are developing a ‘Sustainable Kurbside Policy’ to inform the expansion of their Bike Bunkers programme.

Bike Bunkers are storage units that provide the public with a secure place to park their bikes and are intended for local residents who don’t have sufficient space in their own homes. This programme commenced in December 2025 and, to date, 56 bunkers have been installed - but 3,384 spaces have been requested.

Executive Manager for Traffic Brendan O’Brien spoke to representatives at yesterday’s Mobility and Public Realm SPC about their plans to develop policy for the sustainable use of kerbside space. He stressed those behind the programme don’t want to be “fighting every street” over the need for space, but the council’s proposal does set out a need for “re-organisation and loss of spaces”.

Bike Bunkers fall under the umbrella of sustainable transport and align with the council's City Development Plan to encourage the public to choose active travel options . One option indicated for 10-30% of kurbside space to go toward sustainable transport uses. This does not automatically mean a loss of space, but a strategic policy direction for locations to be assessed.

Sustainable purposes include not just cycle parking, but also shared mobility parking, car sharing, and cargo bike parking provision. Other sustainable transport infrastructure can also be considered, including greening and sustainable urban drainage.

Members of the Mobility and Public Realm SPC welcomed the development of clear policy on the use of kerbside space, but not all were happy about a clear percentage being allocated to sustainable use at this point. Fine Gael Cllr Ray McAdam said he does not support a predetermined percentage and called for a "hierarchy" of considerations and a plan for what comes out on top when they come into conflict with one another.

Social Democrats Cllr Karl Stanley said there is no “one size fits all solution” for kurbside parking and they should carry out community surveys to ascertain the public’s potential buy-in. “I’m getting to point of getting rid of my car, I’d happily have a bike bunker put in it’s place,” he said.

Jason Cullen from the Dublin Commuter Coalition said he is not surprised by the “astonishingly high” demand for bunkers, but that the price should be lowered. Currently, the annual fee for a bike bunker permit is €100 per year, compared to €50 for one year or €80 for two years for a conventional on-street parking permit.

This concern was echoed by Green Party Cllr Donna Conney. “People on lower income shouldn’t have to pay. It would be cheaper to buy a van that’s unroadworthy, put a tax disc on it, take the wheels off and adapt it into a place to put your bike,” she said.

Representatives agreed that a Sustainable Kerbside Policy would be developed and brought to a future meetings of the SPC for further discussion.

This content is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme

Want to see more of the stories you love from Dublin Live? Making us your preferred source on Google means you’ll get more of our exclusives top stories and must-read content straight away. To add us as a preferred source, simply click here .