More than 19,000 Salzburg residents are furious at the private tunnel plan a billionaire proposed to the city of Salzburg, The Times reported.
The tunnel would allow Wolfgang Porsche to access his underground, eight-car garage below his luxury villa, which is on the Kapuzinerberg hill. Porsche is the billionaire heir and chairman of the Porsche AG Supervisory Board.
The proposed tunnel would require digging through the Kapuzinerberg hill, which is public land — and a popular outdoor recreation area.
As The Times reported, Porsche the billionaire proposed this private tunnel to avoid having to drive up the hill road to his luxury villa in the winter. Any car would have trouble driving up this steep and narrow road, especially in the winter.
Last year, Porsche struck a €40,000 deal ($46,970) with the former mayor of Salzburg, reported autoevolution. The deal granted Porsche rights to use public land, as well as entrance access at Linzergasse, where the private tunnel would begin.
The plans for the private tunnel are still under consideration by different levels of government. Meanwhile, the general Salzburg public is infuriated and standing in strong opposition to further development.
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"We don't want billionaire Wolfgang Porsche to hollow out the Kapuzinerberg so that he can access his underground garage via public land," read an online petition that garnered over 19,000 signatures, per The Times.
The petition continued: "This decision was made over the heads of the Salzburg population so that one man could build a 500m-long [about 1,640 feet] private tunnel in a landscape conservation area."
Many of the petitioners also called this project "special treatment for the super-rich."
Billionaires and world leaders have been caught irresponsibly flaunting their wealth or power with no regard to the environmental impact their activities produce.
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Should the ultra-wealthy pay a tax to help offset their environmental impact?
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Absolutely 💯 An Australian billionaire's superyacht was docked in the Brisbane River to secure prime seats for a popular fireworks event. The Hungarian prime minister was caught boarding a private jet and vacationing on superyachts.
Private jets and superyachts are luxurious lifestyle items that commonly use dirty fuels and create pollution. This raises global temperatures and creates more extreme weather events.
This private tunnel project and many other instances where the ultra-rich bend the rules highlight how wealth often triumphs over public and environmental interests.
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