You're standing at a bus or T stop, doing a slow burn about the mysterious whereabouts of your ride or the inadequate size of the shelter, and you turn to the person next to you and say, "You know what would make public transit tolerable in this town?" Or you would, if the person next to you weren't chewing on a TV Guide and chuckling.

Now that driving is about as affordable as a coke habit, more people are seeking other ways to get around -- and running smack into the shortcomings of our transportation system. Those who have tried to travel from, say, the North Hills to the East End without going Downtown, or at any time of day that isn't rush hour, will agree that "system" is perhaps too strong a word. When the T was shut down last summer for a bridge replacement, I endured commutes so long I thought seriously about stopping my mail.

I've seen the whole spectrum of public transit. I grew up in suburban Philadelphia, which enjoys mostly excellent rail service despite relying on SEPTA, the transit authority that sounds like an infection. Later, I lived for a decade in Connecticut, which has almost no public transportation whatsoever. The rail service caters to brokers and ad execs who work in Manhattan, live in Cos Cob and have dogs with foreign names and wives with dogs' names.

Then I came to Pittsburgh, which falls somewhere in the middle. Our public transit is kind of like the Little League kid who means well and tries hard but is just deeply uncoordinated.

I have been told that back when the city had twice as much population and a booming economy, it also had a crackerjack network of streetcars, buses and walkable or, more accurately, climbable neighborhoods.

But then the jobs went away, so the people went away, and those who stayed moved to the suburbs and bought SUVs. And the money went away.

Routes and service followed.

The problem is that if public transit isn't convenient, you throw up your hands and get in your car -- provided you can open the door with your feet.

So how can we fix the region's public transportation? Without spending a lot of money we don't have? We have to be realistic: Philadelphia isn't going to die and leave us a fortune.

That was the question posed at a CityLIVE! forum last week on the North Side. The panelists were State Rep. Chelsa Wagner, a transportation engineer and planning expert from Miami named Sanjeev Shah, and Port Authority CEO Steve Bland, who drove.

Amazingly, the discussion did not deteriorate into a rant session, and I did not see even one torch or pitchfork in the crowd. There was actually a lot of talk about growth, vitality and technology, and many audience members had suggestions that did not involve insertion of the North Shore tunnel-boring machine into a body cavity.

Despite Bland's presence, the brainstorming didn't limit itself to the Port Authority. Think outside the punching bag and you bring in the rivers, the bike trails and those shared hybrid cars. Some zoomed out even farther to include Maglev (remember Maglev?) and bus service from other counties. I started to fantasize about ziplining across the river from Mount Washington.

But the most intriguing idea came at the end: Moderator Chip Walter, Carnegie Mellon adjunct professor, Mellon Institute author-in-residence, filmmaker, former CNN bureau chief and original member of the Starland Vocal Band -- OK, I made that last one up, but I get so excited about renaissance men -- announced a project that will give everyone a voice in the region's transportation planning. It's called a CityWiki. Really.

It's a Web site designed to "harness intellectual and creative firepower" of citizens. Unlike Wikipedia, it will not consist of entries on subjects that describe what is, but like Wikipedia it will be constantly updated and added to, as a way of imagining what could be. It's collaborative. And it's intended to become a report for presentation to regional, federal and state politicians, policy makers and agencies. With the goal of getting things done. In real life.

I know. I thought it was a ripoff of SimCity too. But it's not a game -- it's supposed to result in a professional plan in 90 days.

It's also not a bathroom wall; contributors will have to register, and the goal is "active and fearless, but positive" observations and proposals.

If you're interested, go to www.pghwiki.org. Hey, it's something to do with your laptop while you wait for the bus.