Universal Studios' New Coaster Is Infuriating Its Neighbors
Universal Studios Hollywood's newest thrill ride hasn't even officially opened yet, and it's already sparking noise complaints from neighbors who say the screams echoing across their community sound like "bloody murder."
Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, the park's new outdoor roller coaster, was soft-launched Monday, July 27, ahead of its public debut. The high-speed attraction overlooks the adjacent Toluca Lake neighborhood, and residents say they can hear parkgoers' screams carrying well beyond the park's boundaries.
"When it's running, it's constant, and it sounds like bloody murder over there," Toluca Lake resident Colby Jensen told KTLA. "It's like a horror film going on. Constant screaming, yelling. Very intrusive."
A New Kind of Ride for the Park
The coaster is situated on Universal Studios Hollywood's Upper Lot and spans 4,100 feet of elevated track, roughly the length of 12 football fields, making it the park's only fully outdoor roller coaster.
The ride uses technology that rotates individual vehicles a full 360 degrees, simulating a drifting sensation as the cars spin at high speed. The coaster cars are styled after vehicles from Universal Pictures' Fast & Furious film franchise, including Dominic Toretto's 1970 Dodge Charger. During early testing, including an employee preview night, the ride reached speeds of up to 72 mph.
Park's Mitigation Efforts Fall Short, Residents Say
Universal has installed sound shields at key points along the track and filled sections with pea gravel in an effort to dampen the noise, but nearby residents say the measures haven't done enough. Resident John Heim acknowledged the park's efforts while noting inconsistent results. "Some days it's good, some days it's bad," he told ABC7. "You do hear the screaming, and I heard it late last night with the doors closed and you're kind of like, what is that? By the third time you know what it is."
Don Yorkshire, another Toluca Lake resident, described the ride as a new source of frustration for the neighborhood. "It's really loud with screaming people on it," he told ABC7.
Not every resident is equally alarmed. Kevin Dees, who has lived near the park through years of expansion, acknowledged the noise has grown over time but pushed back against some of the online reaction to the complaints. "There are much bigger problems in the world than how a roller coaster is affecting this neighborhood," he told KTLA. "But what's really disheartening is to see some of the comments online, people attacking people who live in Toluca Lake just because they're expressing a concern."
Toluca Lake is one of Los Angeles' oldest neighborhoods, developed long before Universal Studios began adding thrill rides to its lineup.
Universal Studios Hollywood has not issued a public statement addressing the specific noise complaints tied to the ride's soft launch.
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