Universal's 72-MPH Coaster Draws Noise Complaints as Rider Screams Pierce Nearby Neighborhoods
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 22
Universal's 72-MPH Coaster Draws Noise Complaints as Rider Screams Pierce Nearby Neighborhoods
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 22
Summary
Every 30 seconds for about 10 hours a day, screams from riders on Universal Studios Hollywood’s new Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift coaster are carrying into nearby Toluca Lake homes, residents said.
The complaints undercut three years of engineering aimed at making the 72-mph ride nearly silent, including filling its 4,100-foot track with pea gravel to damp vibrations.
Riderless testing last month had reassured neighbors, with some calling the attraction “whisper quiet,” but the human reaction once passengers boarded became the new source of noise.
The issue is especially sensitive because residential neighborhoods border the park and Universal’s working movie studio sits alongside it, raising pressure on the company to control sound.