The director of traffic in Dublin, Mr Owen Keegan, has pointed the finger at politicians and the media for promoting a blame culture where the capital's transport and traffic problems are concerned.
He also said people should not dismiss buses as a low-cost solution to transport problems, and the idea of providing financial incentives to schools to change their opening hours should be examined.
Mr Keegan, who was addressing the Kenmare Economists Conference in Kerry last night, had strong words for the media and politicians for their approach to congestion.
Rather than undertake serious analysis of the problems, Mr Keegan said, journalists found it hard to resist "scapegoating soft targets".
The political system had also been very keen, particularly in recent months, to attribute blame to the agencies which are responsible for delivering transport services and avoid its share of the responsibility.
Coverage of Dublin's traffic problems featured "almost Malthusian despair and lack of confidence in our capacity to deliver a good-quality transport system and services in the Greater Dublin Area", he said.
"There is some justification for blaming the media for this unsatisfactory state of affairs," he continued.
"The temptation for journalists to simply reinforce the prejudices of a sceptical public by scapegoating soft targets rather than undertake serious analysis of complex issues and confront the public with the harsh realities of urban transportation systems will always be difficult to resist."
The fact that the political system had been very keen, especially in recent months, to blame the same agencies in order to absolve itself of its share of any responsibility had only served to reinforce the blame culture.
Media commentators expected congestion-free urban roads and that public transport should not be overcrowded, but given the high peak levels of travel this would not be possible at any reasonable cost.
Stoutly defending his office, he said public policy was to try to move people out of cars and into public transport, but his office was still blamed for increasing congestion.
However, he said, reversing this trend in congestion and car commuting times was not something the City Council had been seeking to do in recent years.