Originally Posted by
Jaywalk3r
Would you care to list some cities that have seen large increases in bicycle modal share prior to installing infrastructure?
Most American college towns in the late '60s through early '70s. During that 'bike boom' era bicycle use expanded greatly even though there was virtually no bicycle specific infrastructure in most of the country (Davis, Ca being an exception). I lived in Fargo, ND at that time and saw bicycle use increase by at least an order of magnitude with no infrastructure other than a few bike racks at schools and campus buildings.
One factor that's frequently not acknowledged in encouraging a growth in bicycle mode share is having policies that discourage car use by making it either inconvenient or expensive. College campuses are one example where restrictions on on-campus use of cars by students, limited parking space, and expensive parking permits lead to much greater use of bicycles for transportation even if no bicycle infrastructure is provided (although that does tend to also appear on campuses - but in response to demand rather than as a catalyst for it).