Dublin City Council Chief Executive Owen Keegan has defended plans to 'aggressively restrict' space for cars in the city.
Mr Keegan said it will be necessary take away a lane of parked cars or traffic in places across the city, in order to achieve the Local Authority's decarbonisation goals.
However, Mr Keegan did say he shouldn't have used the word 'aggressively' when discussing taking road space from car users.
The comments were made at a recent cycling symposium held in Dublin.
Read more: Dublin City Council plan to 'aggressively restrict' road space for drivers
Speaking on RTE's Today with Claire Byrne, Mr Keegan said the Council faces a "very serious challenge" to double the number of cycling trips made in the city.
He said: "If we're to achieve that kind of growth, and if we're to make cycling a mode of choice for more people and for more journeys then we really do have to change our whole approach to travel.
"Cyclists want direct routes, and in many cases they can only get a direct convenient route if we put it on street. We have to be prepared to do that, even if it means taking a lane or parking or a traffic lane and reallocating its use."
Mr Keegan added that there will still be space for cars on roads and in parking lots around the city.
He said: "[Cycling] It's not going to work for everybody and nobody is suggesting that it would work for everybody.
"We're just talking about more even distribution of road space toward the sustainable modes, including cycling, we will still accommodate car traffic.
"There's no question about that. There has to be access to every car park, every shopping centre, it's just that there will be better provision for other modes."
But the Council boss did take a step back from his call to "aggressively restrict" car space.
He said: "I meant the word aggressively in terms that we need to take a determined approach.
"I was speaking mainly to our own staff who are in a new unit, who will be charged with achieving the targeted growth in cycling.
"By aggressive I meant a kind of determined, enthusiastic approach to this. If we sit back we're not going to achieve our target, so I was in that context."
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