Universal Studios announced the opening day for its new Fast and Furious ride, which features high speeds, loops and a last-minute addition to address the noise complaints coming from its Toluca Lake neighbors.
“There have been times where it is loud, but it isn’t every day, all year long,” resident Judith Angel said last month.
During testing in July and August, Angel and other residents complained that screams from the amusement park’s first outdoor ride carried through their neighborhood.
“Like every 30-40 seconds, you just keep hearing screams,” neighbor Craig Strong said last month. “It’s like this is going to be our new sound in the neighborhood all day long.”
In response, Universal said it added more than 900 feet of sound walls, pea gravel to help quiet the track, and designed the coaster cars to rotate so screams won’t always face the neighborhood.
“They told us that they had designed it so that the screams would happen in those tubes,” Angel said. “My comment was, I’ve never seen a roller coaster where you can tell people you can scream here, but don’t scream here.”
When the complaints continued, Universal said it would install two more sound barriers, which will be complete by opening day, according to Councilman Adrin Nazarian.
Universal Studios thanked its neighbors for their input and “we appreciate hearing from them.” The “Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift” ride will open on Wednesday, Sept. 16.
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