Leonard R. Garner Jr. loves roller coasters. And the semi-retired actor and television director has a place in his heart for Universal Studios Hollywood, the theme park above the studio where he spent many days behind a camera.
He also loves the tranquility of his home. As a resident of Toluca Lake, the small neighborhood located beneath the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Super Nintendo World and other park staples, Garner watched with curiosity as Universal Studios began construction of Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, its new high-speed outdoor thrill ride. He continued to follow the construction for the next three or four years while going for afternoon walks.
Finally, when Universal Studios began testing the attraction this spring, Garner breathed a sigh of relief. “I was surprised how quiet it was,” he said. “I couldn't hear it at all.”
But I wasn't considering one detail: there were no people in it.
Everything changed, Garner and many other Toluca Lake residents said, on the summer day Universal Studios began rolling out the roller coaster with a full rider list. There were screams. They were loud, piercing even the double pane windows. And they were constant.
“Disturbing,” said one resident, Dr. Christopher Zito.
“You think something is going on,” said Patrick Nazari, another resident. “Like someone is being murdered out there.”
Garner said he stopped dead. “I heard it and thought, 'There's going to be problems with this.'”
Universal's new Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift roller coaster can be seen (and heard) from Toluca Lake.
(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)
At least headaches for both Toluca Lake residents and Universal Studios Hollywood in the days before the attraction opens this summer. Among residents, there is panic about what recourse, if any, they may have at this late stage, with one man joking that they may always have to play loud music all day to mask the screams of motorcyclists. For Universal Studios Hollywood, the complaints, first reported on social media and quickly picked up by media outlets, have added a sudden jolt of negative publicity around what was supposed to be the 2026 North American ride.
Longtime Toluca Lake residents have had to get used to their high-powered neighbor making changes in recent decades. In particular, over the past 10 years, Universal Studios Hollywood has accelerated its growth, evolving from a showcase of movie magic to an increasingly attraction-focused park, with each addition bringing new concerns of disruption to the community. None, residents say, has changed the tone more than this one.
Karen Rogers has lived in Toluca Lake for more than 20 years. “It was never a roller coaster park,” he said. “When a lot of residents moved there, it was about movie history, and it was all within the park. This is different because it looms over a neighborhood. It's just disappointing.”
Rob Cerny remembers the moment he heard the screams. I had just gotten off the Metro B Line across the street from the studio.
“Every minute you hear this big scream,” he said. “When I got home, my wife was upset. Our backyard was left unusable. The noise is extremely prominent. I really don't think this is going to be sustainable.”
On the issue of noise, Universal Studios Hollywood has been proactive with Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, dedicating a website to how quiet and unobtrusive their innovative coaster would be. Multiple noise mitigation efforts were undertaken: sound walls, scream shields, and even gravel on the roller coaster tracks.
And everyone was welcome, say Garner, Cerny and other residents. Everyone is eager to talk, but they are also cautious. They are aware that some of those who went to press have been attacked on social media, and many of those who are not residents of Toluca Lake seem unsympathetic to their cause, comparing them to the complainers who are not in my backyard.
Toluca Lake residents fear Universal's Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift will be a constant noise.
(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)
If you live next to a theme park, the main argument goes, what did you expect?
“That's a good point,” said Cerny, who has resided next to Universal Studios for 30 years, around the time the park opened what is now known as Jurassic World: The Ride, but long before additions like the “Harry Potter” franchise or Nintendo.
“This was not Magic Mountain,” Cerny continued. “I grew up here. It was a place for studio tours. Now it's a major thrill theme park. That's something different.”
And it's not, he said, background noise, like Wizarding World's barely audible soundtrack. “They are screams,” he said. “Screaming is a disturbing noise. It is not a lullaby.”
Universal says it's listening.
“We appreciate hearing from the community and that feedback is an important part of the process,” reads a statement from Universal Studios Hollywood. “The coaster is currently in its testing and commissioning phase, which is designed to evaluate the attraction over time and under a variety of operating conditions. As part of that process, we are actively reviewing sound levels to ensure the coaster is operating in compliance.”
Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift has been in development for about a decade. It is a feat of engineering, situated on a hill between the upper and lower park lots, extending toward Lankershim Boulevard. Universal has its own interest in limiting travel noise, beyond being a polite neighbor, as it is still a working studio.
The theme park has reached out to the neighborhood over the years in an attempt to calm concerns, whether by distributing leaflets or attending community meetings. And many Toluca Lake residents enjoy some theme park perks courtesy of Universal, like free parking and invitations to pre-opening events at the park. Garner still speaks fondly of riding Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge in front of most of the public.
“We all went to meetings about it,” Rogers said of Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift. “Universal says they want to be a good neighbor. They went to great lengths to make it the quietest roller coaster ever. Well, that's good, but you can't duct tape your mouth shut.”
While residents say the screaming is incredibly loud, there is no indication so far that the ride violates county standards. The path for the coaster was cleared with the Universal Studios Specific Plan of 2013. Submitted and approved by Los Angeles County, the documents outline expansion plans for studios, theme parks and hotels, detailing requirements such as height, noise and more. While nothing in the newspapers explicitly anticipated possible specific details of the ride, such as a 72 mph roller coaster with cars that spin 360 degrees, county officials note that there was also nothing on the pitch for Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift that would violate the terms of the plan.
Therefore, county officials say, it was not necessary for Universal to hold public hearings to gain approval to build the coaster. That left some residents feeling offended, saying they were unaware of the attraction until the land was moved.
Universal Studio Hollywood's Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift will reach speeds of 72 mph and take riders on multiple inversions.
(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)
It should be noted, however, that before construction began, Universal Studios placed speakers in its former special effects and stunt buildings to see how the noise traveled down the hill. And according to the documents, Universal Studios Hollywood must track noise at six designated monitoring sites in and around the park. At least three are in the heart of Toluca Lake, located on or near Valley Springs Lane.
Residents also receive a number to call in case of complaints, such as noise. Zito has been in contact with park technicians near his home and noted that they are sitting with microphones and equipment to capture sonic readings. “I always go up to them and say, 'You're not here when it's loud,'” he said. Another resident spoke of downloading a smartphone app to track decibel levels throughout the day, with the intention of documenting roller coaster screaming noise and reporting any violations.
Decibel levels allowed in the neighborhood vary depending on the time of day, as well as the type of noise. Operational sound, such as that of an attraction, is classified differently than “impulsive noise”, such as a gunshot from a film production. A scream, county officials said, is considered operational noise, and decibel levels should be around 50 dBa during peak hours.
Most decibel tables consider that noise moderate, somewhere between a steady rain and a dishwasher. Over the years, Universal has been forced to make modifications to its attractions, such as replacing some live special effects in its “Waterworld” show with pre-recorded digital tracks.
County Supervisor Kathryn Barger's office is aware of complaints from Toluca Lake residents. Its staff has been facilitating a conversation with people at Universal Studios and has found them to be “very willing partners,” said Helen Chávez García, Barger's communications director. “They are very interested in finding common ground to address community concerns while meeting their larger goals of delivering a new attraction to keep their theme park thriving. They have been good partners at the table and this will be a continued work in progress.”
With the roller coaster set to open in the coming days or weeks, residents are not optimistic about the change or the sudden construction of more noise barriers. Rogers, for example, said she and her husband started purchasing water fountains, wondering if installing them in their backyard would mask the screaming. Garner, a roller coaster fan, however, said the only recourse may be to find a way to live and enjoy the ride.
“I'm dying to move on,” he said. “I'm sure it will be something to experience and it will be great.”
Then he pauses for a moment. “But I don't want to have to listen to it all day and night.”
