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DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL has issued a tender for the installation of “bike bunkers” for the city.
According to tender documents, the estimated maximum cost for the commission, delivery, installation and service of the secure hangars excluding VAT is €10 million.
It comes after a report commissioned by the council recommended a significant expansion of a bike bunker programme in Dublin to deploy 300 of the locked bike shelters around the city by 2026.
There was positive public reaction to the pilot programme that began in 2015, which the report said demonstrated that “substantial” numbers of people wanted secure parking spaces for bicycles in the capital.
Speaking to The Journal, Green Party councillor for Cabra-Glasnevin Feljin Jose said there has been “so much demand” for the storage bunkers.
“It’s something that a lot of people have been calling for for a long time, especially in inner city areas,” Jose said.
According to the external report, which was published last year, there are currently 12 bike bunkers – which can accommodate around six bicycles each – located around Dublin city including areas such as Portobello, Stoneybatter, The Liberties and Broadstone.
They are mostly situated in quiet residential neighbourhoods with terraced houses where there are limited spaces for storing bicycles conveniently and where there is low demand for car parking permits.
The report states that most users live within 200 metres of a bike bunker. The rental fee for a single space in a bike bunker is €100 per year – twice the cost of a residential parking permit.
Feljin Jose said that the issue of storage can be a big deal for bike owners.
When I was canvassing for the local election, it came up a lot on the doors around Phibsboro and Drumcondra, places near the city centre where people do own bikes and do cycle everywhere.
“They don’t have front gardens, they don’t have back gardens. They’re putting their bikes in the hallway. I saw a house in Drumcondra with four bikes in the hallway. Every second house on that road was asking me about bike bunkers.”
He said there are also a lot of people who want to cycle but they have nowhere to store a bicycle.
“There’s a lot of things you need to do to encourage bicycling. Providing the cycling infrastructure is one thing, but providing locations for people to store a bike is also a very important element of it. I’m delighted to see it finally happening.”
The tender lists Fingal County Council, South Dublin County Council and Dun Laoghaire County Council as participating bodies. Jose said this gives those councils the option to order from the tender.
When asked about the €100 cost for a single space in a bunker, Jose said: “We don’t know what the cost will be during the rollout, but I do hope it’ll be cheaper than that. A parking space costs much less than that.”
The tender issued today by Dublin City Council for an initial period of one year requires a contractor for building, installing and maintaining the secure bicycle storage units.
The contract will be for three years. Those interested have until 12pm on 13 August to submit their interest.
The tender states that this is the first stage of the competitive procedure “whereby any interested party may submit a response to this questionnaire in order to be considered for inclusion on the tender list”.
Following evaluation, at least the top five scoring applicants will be invited to tender, should that number qualify.
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Probably just go with the flow at this stage. Great idea lads. Good use of resources. Well done. Can’t see these being wrecked at all. 10m to install, ex vat, the add on extra for added costs rising so that’s 100m, then 400m to remove them when they’re wrecked in 6 months.
@Rafa C: this is a DCC project, many of us would avail of them as we don’t have space indoors or safe places to lock bikes outside. it isn’t going to affect you out past leixlip or wherever you said you lived the other day so don’t fret too much.
@Rafa C: The ones near me in Stoneybatter have been in several years and work great. But don’t let that stop you having a good aul moan.
@eoin fitzpatrick: I never said they wouldn’t be availed of, and I never said you don’t have space for storing bikes.
Does it affect me? And others? Yes. I think it does.
Let’s just wait and see the final cost for this project, and the inevitable removal of these due to thievery, vandalism, anti-social behaviour and probably a few other things.
They won’t last long.
Out where I live, they put a cycle pump and bike repair kit at the entrance to the canal – it was only put in 2 weeks ago and it’s already wrecked and unusable.
@Sal Paradise: Great to hear Sal, but with many others being put in the risk rises for thievery, vandalism and other anti-social situations.
I’m delighted it works for you in your area. But there’s a bigger picture, additional costs, and inevitable removal due to issues.
@Rafa C: in case you dont realise it Rafa , most citizens of our fair city dont go around wrecking facilities provided by city council Fingal, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown or SDCC. In fact most of the great public facilities of our country are in Dublin
@Peter Byrne: We clearly have not experienced the same Dublin. Time will tell.
@Rafa C: The same was said when Dublin Bikes was launched. Vandals will destroy them. It never happened and it turned out to be a great success.
@Rafa C: Ah, I don’t know Rafa. I see winter potential right there, bikes having been stolen the shed shell can then be covered in tarpaulin; sort of accommodation for ‘visitors’. Safe spaces, like…
@Rafa C: yes but please do think of the effect of the green stamp it will have for every person who’s on a bike for those 6 months who uses it. The reduction in emissions from not using vehicles for that limited time will have tremendous results. The air quality will be absolutely wonderful altogether there.
Great news. Addresses the problem of keeping a bike in a small or terraced house.
I use the one in Stoneybatter as I live in a third floor apartment, they have never been vandalised due to their solid structure.
@Áine G: C’mon now. Can’t be having that sort of positive reaction to a story.
Great news. I have friends who have been using these in a couple of locations and so it’s good that others will be able to avail of them.
We need more bike bunkers I am sure.
@Sean Money: Any place where bimes can be locked safely is good.
@Sean O’Dhubhghaill: we must protect the bimes
@Sean Money: 20,000 bikes reported stolen every year, the real figure is multiples of that probably. So yes, it’s a good idea
Be a shining beacon for anti-social types.
@AnthonyK: Haven’t been to date.
@Jack Hayes: save the lads putting up tents. Accommodation in Dublin for €100 a year . Great value
Anything for motorbikes on the horizon…
To many thefts
Love it when I hear councillors saying it will be great for the inner city. As when requests were made to get them installed in council flat complex’s in the inner city, they were ignored by DCC and the party of the councilors quoted!
I was there when the requests were made repeatedly!
And repeatedly ignored.
Like the idea but 33k per bunker is mad stuff
@David Griffin:
You could get a shipping container for that ,and put 100 or more in.
How does it cost in excess of 30,000 for each ex vat.?
@Mark Fox: no the €30k is for the brown envelope. The bunker only costs €1k in normal land.
@Mark Fox: 30,000 per individual bike holding section with absolutely tremendous benefits to the local community and all cabbage heads alike.
For crying out loud DCC it rains every other day and it pitch dark 6 months of the year! Who wants to cycle in Dublin. Tha vast majority of cyclists are school kids and delivery drivers! They don’t need bike bunkers your only keeping the thieves dry while there robbing the bikes in Dublins fair city!
It’s taken up a car park space
@Shane O Mac: That’s the hope!
@Shane O Mac: where will I park my 4wd range rover archorpanzer now?
@Shane O Mac: yes, one car space lost = 6 bike spaces gained. Win,win.
@Dermot Blaine: for €33,000 per bunker you could ditch your bicycle and actually finally be able to afford a car.
@Shane O Mac: takes up a car space but frees up several.
@Dermot Blaine: loss loss in winter time
They will be put in the same type of locations as the others. You will not see them in council estates or older persons accommodation.
Ugly things that take away from the areas they are in. Look like old watchmen’s huts.
@Gary Kearney: if that’s your take, you’ll be outraged when you see all the private cars stored on streets up and down the country.
Just everywhere, they are!
@Ciaran Foster: and they pay for the privilege with road tax insurance what do bikes pay sod all
@Paul Dennis: no such thing as “road tax” and plenty of taxpayers pay taxes
@Paul Dennis: They pay more than a car does. Residential parking permit in DCC is 65e for 12 months. One of those bunkers also takes 6 bikes. Assuming it fills, that is 600e for one spot rather than 65e for one car
@KL M: explain how there is no such thing as road tax?
I’m order to use any motorised vehicle one has to pay tax. It is a tax on the usage of a motor vehicle on a public road so it is, in affect, a road tax. One can own a motor vehicle & declare it off the road removing the need to pay tax.
Have to laugh at all the brainwashed NPC’s that believe they are saving the world by eliminating cars. Bigots the most of them that don’t understand they are being manipulated & the ones that realise it won’t admit it because of their ego (but like covid & vaccines
This is a real problem I know people who don’t cycle cause don’t have any place to keep a bike.
We need them also farther away from the city centre like 6/7km at least.
@MM: The Further the better!!!
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