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A new thrill ride at Universal Studios Hollywood may be too fast and too furious for neighbors who said they can hear the screams of park guests “all day long.”
The park’s new rollercoaster, “Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift,” has yet to open to the public, though residents said the screaming-from test riders on its first-ever high-speed outdoor rollercoaster-is unbearable as the cars reach speeds of up to 72 mph.
“Like every 30-40 seconds, you just keep hearing screams,” neighbor Craig Strong told CBS News.
“It’s like this is going to be our new sound in the neighborhood all day long.”
Strong said until recently, the neighborhood was “peaceful” and said the park’s newest roaring attraction is a “game changer.”
“Please work this out. I can’t live here and listen to screams every 40 seconds until, sometimes, 2 a.m. It’s just unfair,” he added.
Others said they are trying to work and the screaming is very distracting, saying something has to change.
“Five minutes you hear, ‘ahhhh,’ and you are like ‘is this really happening,” one woman said.
“I’m sitting here at my desk and there’s like this crazy rollercoaster sound.”
NBCUniversal said steps were taken to lessen the impact of the new coaster for those living in area.
Some of those included the design of the track allowing the individual vehicles to have a “360-degree rotation to direct screams away from the community,” per its website.
Sound walls were built made “of sound-absorbing material,” which expands over “900 feet in length on the property near the ride track.”
And pea gravel was placed on the entire track, “which is designed to minimize ride vehicle sound.”
Despite these steps, residents say Universal has to make changes, suggesting even slowing the adrenaline-inducing ride to lessen the screams.
A spokesperson told The Post, the coaster is “currently in its testing and commissioning phase, which includes actively reviewing sound levels to ensure the coaster operates in compliance.”
“Feedback from the community is an important part of this process, and we appreciate hearing from them.”
When the ride opens this summer, fans of the “Fast and Furious” franchise will find tributes to dead Fast and the Furious star Paul Walker, who died in a car accident in 2013.
The coaster has two ride vehicles designed after Brian O’Conner’s sports cars in the franchise. Brian O’Conner is the character Walker portrayed.
The other two ride vehicles are driven by Dominic Toretto, played by Vin Diesel, and Han Seoul-oh, portrayed by Sung Kang.
The rollercoaster is scheduled to open later summer, per officials. Though no exact date has been announced.
English (US)