Residents near Universal Studios Hollywood are demanding the studio take additional steps to contain the noise from the newly opened Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift rollercoaster, which they say has made their lakeside neighborhood unlivable since testing began in June.
TOLUCA LAKE, Calif. — Ever since Universal Studios began testing its new Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift rollercoaster in June, residents of Toluca Lake have been living with a daily chorus of screams that they say has turned their quiet, leafy neighborhood into a sound zone.
The ride officially opened on September 16, with Universal promising guests a ride "at speeds of up to 72 MPH and at a force of up to 3.6 Gs along 4,100 feet of elaborate aerial track." For the neighbors on the other side of the fence, the opening meant the noise would not stop, and complaints have been mounting for months.
Roy P. Disney, the great-nephew of Walt Disney, is among the residents most affected. He lives on Valley Spring Road, a stretch he describes as ground zero for the coaster's sound.
"I feel like I've been talking to myself," Disney said, speaking from his backyard. "The complaints go into what I call a round file, and I feel like they figure it's part of the war they're playing, and they're not listening to us, they're not honoring us, and so we have to do more."
Disney said he can still hear the shrieks from inside his bedroom, making retreat to his lakeside sanctuary impossible.
Residents have formed their own community advisory panel to petition Universal for change. After months of complaints, the amusement park agreed to meet with residents on September 30 on the Universal City Lot.
Fred Berri, an interior designer whose family has lived in the neighborhood for more than 50 years, said the group is not asking for the ride to close.
"We are not asking for Universal to close down the ride," Berri said. "We know it's not going to go away. But there are ways to make the noise contained."
Berri offered several suggestions, including building plastic hard tops on the coaster train cars to muffle screams, and constructing fake facades of buildings from the Fast & Furious movies along the track. The facades would serve a dual purpose, he argued, by immersing riders in the ride's theme while also acting as a sound barrier for the neighborhood.
Universal has taken some measures to reduce the noise. The ride's track sits on pea gravel to help quiet the roar of the coaster. Transparent "scream screens" shield one of the higher curves, though residents believe those screens were added to protect the sensitive ears of employees in nearby corporate offices rather than to help the neighborhood. A 940-foot sound wall also has been erected.
When contacted by Deadline, a Universal Studios Hollywood spokesperson said community feedback had directly informed the park's work, including an additional sound barrier to lessen sound levels in adjacent neighborhoods.
"Testing completed to date confirms the attraction is operating in compliance with sound ordinances applicable to Universal property, which are more stringent than City and County codes," the spokesperson said.
In a separate release announcing the coaster's opening, Scott Strobl, the EVP and General Manager of Universal Studios Hollywood, called the ride "a literal game changer for Universal Studios Hollywood."
Because Universal Studios sits on county land, County Supervisor Kathryn Barger has inserted herself into the dispute. She sent a letter to the Toluca Lake community stating that her office would continue working directly with residents and Universal to monitor the attraction and identify measures to minimize noise and other impacts on surrounding neighborhoods.
That offer provides little comfort to residents like Nancy Jundi, who owns a home on the other side of Lankershim Boulevard near Valleyheart Drive, an area she calls Universal Studios' "front yard." Jundi, who runs a cloud-based post and production company, said the noise interrupts her daily business calls via Zoom.
"I knew I was moving into our version of Disneyland, but I didn't expect all of this," Jundi said.
The September 30 community meeting on the Universal City Lot will be the first formal opportunity for residents and park officials to discuss the noise issue in person. Whether it produces meaningful changes to the ride's sound profile remains to be seen.
This article was generated with AI assistance.