First of the trial lockers planned for the Capel Street and Grafton Street areas. 40 short-term bicycle lockers are to be installed in locations around Dublin City Centre, aimed at people cycling into the city centre to socialise, shop, dine, or visit the many attractions in the area.The lockers, provided as part of a trial by Dublin City Council, will include a variety of types of units and locations. The trial is being run with the support of the National Transport Authority.The use of the lockers, which hold a single bicycle, will be via an app that opens the smart locks on the units. Users will pay per use, although the rental fees have yet to be announced.Cllr Michael Pidgeon (Green Party) said: I had my bike nicked a few years ago, and it was a big blow. Having somewhere secure to lock a bike is a big concern for people going into town especially for people who have new, more expensive bikes. Anything the city can do to allay these fears will help.The trial will be operated by Bleeper, a company that runs its own bike share business and also last year won the tender to run the councils separate BikeBunker locker system for residential use. BikeBunkers were originally trialled before being rolled out as a permanent service, but unlike BikeBunkers, the new lockers will be for short-term use only.IMAGE: An example of a locker.We have much detail on this trial yet, but it seems like a really positive step. Key things to watch are whether people overstay, if they get much use, and whether the visual impact of them is worth the benefit, Cllr Pidgeon said.He added: Im just generally happy that the city is trialling easily reversible stuff like this. Its much better to try something and see if it works, rather than endlessly speculating and debating every possible outcome.In an update to councillors, Dublin City Council officials said: These lockers are intended for short-term use, enabling visitors to securely park their bikes for a few hours while they socialise, shop, dine, or visit the city centres many attractions.Secure cycle lockers will be installed in several public locations (both on-street and off-street) throughout Spring 2026, followed by an evaluation period of at least one year to assess their impact, officials said. The information provided to councillors outlines how the first cycle lockers will be installed at sites on Capel Street and Grafton Street in the coming weeks, with six lockers placed in each location.The council said that the trial will assess the demand for paid secure short-term cycle parking, compare various hardware and software solutions for short-term cycle lockers, and assess the performance of different location types, including on-street vs off-street locations. The process will include getting feedback from locker users, city residents, businesses, and other city centre visitors.Dublin City Council also already offers free indoor bicycle parking on the ground floor of three multistory car parks in the city centre.These are located at the multistory car park on Drury Street, at The Spire Car Park on Cathal Brugha Street, and at the street-level Jervis Street Car Park at 61-66 Jervis Street (not to be confused with the Jervis Shopping Centre car park).Unlike municipal bicycle parking facilities in the Netherlands, these locations in Dublin City Centre are not directly guarded, although they have proven popular.