As with any implantation of new infrastructure, post-implementation monitoring and data collection will be part of this plan. It’s not uncommon for any new project to need some adjustments.

A Crenshaw Line Northern Extension is being considered now, but it is still far in the future, and it is unclear if it would run in the San Vicente median west of La Brea. If it did, the rail line would likely go underground well to the east of Fairfax, so there would be room for this project at the Asterisk and several blocks eastward.

We like the FM/LM plan to add bike lines on Fairfax, but we propose using Orange Grove instead because (1) in our plan there would be a natural, easy bike crossing at Orange Grove, (2) the Orange Grove route would take cyclists right to the new subway station, whereas Fairfax is a block away, (3) restricting vehicle access to Orange Grove at San Vicente could benefit residents as well as cyclists by reducing cut-through traffic, and (4) we’re concerned whether Metro could ever get bike lanes approved for Fairfax.

There would be a comprehensive mitigation plan, just as there is for other projects. We believe the short-term inconvenience would be far outweighed by the improvements that would be enjoyed for generations.

We agree that Fairfax from the 10 Freeway to the Hollywood Hills needs a comprehensive plan. However, our focus is on this one intersection and its immediate surroundings. We believe our solution will work with other changes that might come to Fairfax.

The goal is to get away from today’s stop and go "drag stip" pattern and instead keep traffic moving at a steady, moderate speed. This is less frustrating for drivers and better for surrounding communities.

The detailed space plan for San Vicente is still to be worked out, but our plan is consistent with the city’s plan for two vehicle lanes in each direction for San Vicente. That width is the same as on major streets like Pico, and is appropriate for the traffic volume on that street.

There are many examples of this setup working great. Residents usually like this, as the change calms vehicle traffic in front of their homes, reducing noise and cut-through traffic, and making the street safer for kids and everyone else there.

Not at all! In fact, we expect this to be one of the project’s main improvements. We expect the roundabout + underpass to move vehicles more efficiently and therefore reduce cut-through traffic.

We considered this option. It would definitely create more public space, but could make congestion even worse, so a detriment to anyone who navigates the intersection and to surrounding areas.

Yes, that would help but we feel the combination of underpass and roundabout brings a lot more benefits.

Traffic experts don’t believe a roundabout could handle the volume of traffic that would attempt to go through it.

The best way to improve bike/ped safety and neighborhood quality of life is moving vehicle traffic away from the surface. Also, forcing pedestrians and bikes to use ramps, stairs and tunnels can discourage them from entering the area. We feel that convenience is important for pedestrians so we don’t want them to have to go off grade to cross.

We envision that the city would manage this in the same way other public space is managed.

The experience for people who want to go north through the intersection on foot or on bike will be vastly improved. There will be fewer lanes to cross, vehicle speeds will be slower, and there will be vastly improved infrastructure. For cyclists, the Orange Grove link right to the subway station will be highly efficient.

Our engineers feel sure they can design the new layout to accommodate large vehicles with no problem.

Yes, the traffic engineers will design safe, convenient bus stops. Though the details aren’t yet worked out, the experience of waiting for a bus or changing buses in this area should be much better than it is today.

These residents will still be able to make a right turn onto Olympic. To go west on Olympic they will be able to drive into the roundabout and come out on westbound Olympic. We believe this will be an improvement over today’s situation where during peak hours it’s very difficult and dangerous to turn onto Olympic from these streets.

Most of our work is limited to the section just to the north, but we are working with Destination Little Ethiopia to make the Asterisk function better for their community. We believe the project will be a huge benefit to Little Ethiopia by reducing traffic backups on Fairfax. We hope that the blocks-long line of idling cars we’ve grown accustomed to will be a thing of the past.

Given the current traffic volumes, there will probably need to be some kind of crossing signal to give pedestrians an interval to cross. This is the case around other roundabouts with similar traffic volumes.

We know there will be green space but we haven’t yet worked out whether it will be possible for pedestrians to walk into the center of the roundabout.

We’re still early in the process so we don’t have that level of detail yet. However, roundabouts are inherently designed to make drivers slow down in order to navigate the circle safely. That’s one reason why they have proven to be much safer than traditional intersections and they have been adopted around the world.

Because the new plan will bring a big reduction in open, paved space, the area should be less attractive for street takeovers.

There’s more work to do on the roundabout design, but there will definitely be lane markings.