While issues surrounding high operations costs and vandalism have curbed the success of such homegrown initiatives in the past (e.g., Seattle's Yellow Bikes), the evidence that this can be done successfully is overwhelming. Last spring, ad agency Clear Channel Outdoor launched, in collaboration with the Department of Transportation, one of the country's first official bike sharing programs in Washington, DC; called SmartBike the system brings in revenue through annual membership fees and additional sliding scale costs and advertising.

More recently, ad man Alex Bogusky (of Crispin Porter + Bogusky fame) teamed up with health care company Humana and bike company Trek to create a similar system, called B-Cycle, to be piloted in Denver. The solar-powered B-Cycle program will have strategically placed stations around the city where, with the swipe of a credit or membership card, people can pick up and drop off bikes. The program is expected to be even more sustainable than Paris' Velib program, as the front panel of each bike's basket is prime real estate for advertisers. Similar programs are expected to launch in Miami and on the Hawaiian island of O'ahu, and DC plans to expand its current program, as well.