Dan Hughes estimates he can count on two hands the number of times he’s driven to work in the past 25 years.

The owner of Sunflower Outdoor & Bike Shop, 804 Massachusetts St., with a bicycle for every weather scenario, Hughes admits he may be an outlier in the community, but still he’d like to see improved transportation infrastructure in town.

Wednesday night, Hughes and a few hundred others gathered at Liberty Hall, 644 Massachusetts St., for a town hall meeting to discuss the potential development of safe and reliable transportation methods in Lawrence.

The meeting, called “Safe Routes for All,” drew particular attention to pedestrian and cyclist traffic.

“They’re issues that are near and dear to my heart,” Hughes said. “And not just as a business owner. This is where my focus is, and it’s a great opportunity to discuss these issues.”

The meeting was the product of a partnership between the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department and the Lawrence Pedestrian Coalition, said coalition spokeswoman Erin Paden. And the basic goal was to inform and encourage involvement.

“I just think for safety and the economy and for environmental health and human health, I think it’s important for Lawrence to consider how we want to look in 30 years,” she said. “To ask what kind of town we want to have.”

Keynote speaker Robert Ping, of the Walkable and Livable Communities Institute in Portland, Ore., praised Lawrence’s roundabouts, neighborhood schools and bike lanes, to name a few. But there is still work to be done, he explained.

“There’s a lot going on in Lawrence. It’s very impressive as far as bicycle and pedestrian work goes,” he said. “And looking at improvements for the community, there’s potential to get into a world-class position for livability.”

Ping spoke of reducing the size of roadways, using the four-lane, southern portion of Massachusetts Street as an example. He also suggested eliminating excess parking spaces, completing the bicycle path looping around town and reverting streets to a grid structure rather than the now-old-fashioned cul de sacs.

“If we plan for cars and traffic, that’s what you’ll get,” he said. “But if we plan for people and places, we’ll get people and places.”

That work does take time, money and energy, Ping said, but the benefits extend far beyond just physical fitness.

Creating a town that’s friendly and safe for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists alike can also boost the local economy, attract new residents and encourage current residents to stay put, he said.

One of those current residents, Karen Hawk, said she walks frequently but doesn’t always feel safe and would like to see more work done on the city’s pathways.

“I’m in my 60s and not a confident cyclist,” she said. “I just want sidewalks I’m not going to trip on.”

Both Hawk and Hughes agreed the size of the crowd Wednesday night shows they’re not alone and that more people in Lawrence are interested in making a change.

“I ride my bike so often I feel like I know everyone out there,” Hughes said. “But I see a lot of unfamiliar faces, which means there are a lot of cycling and pedestrian advocates that have yet to be tapped. And that is encouraging.”