3 ms·

Capacity may indeed be a reason for requiring advance bookings. But it doesn't explain the ridiculous security (scanning gates, had to take off my hat and belt

• cucumber3732842 4mo ago
  >Is it to counter terrorism? To boost consuming at the establishments? Or is it a lame excuse thats in reality just a higher bar to entry? Incentives align among all three.
• fontain 4mo ago
  Have you visited The View from The Shard? A very expensive visit, with exactly the same security checks as Sky Garden. Security in tall buildings is high (even if that security is mostly theatre). "Certain items cannot be brought into The View from The Shard including large bags and backpacks, over the size of 22 x 15 x 8 inches (55 x 38 x 20 cm) or other large equipment." "We ask guests to walk through metal detectors, which use a low-frequency electromagnetic field to look for metal items." https://www.theviewfromtheshard.com/frequently-asked-questions/ https://www.theviewfromtheshard.com/frequently-asked-questio...
  • b112 4mo ago
    If you graph obesity and excess security, especially these "metal detectors", there is correlation, thus we should all sue.
  • ivory54321 4mo ago
    This is also true for visitors to the offices located in the shard, it's very annoying to unload a overnight bag when trying to visit an office. I always wondered what the purpose was as regular employees skip the security queue
  • vidarh 4mo ago
    The Shard has a hotel (Shangri La) with a separate entrance, and no security to get up to the 52nd floor Gong bar (as well as several other restaurants and bar from 30th floor and up) Next door you need to go through a scanner to get up to the restaurants on the 31st and 32nd floor of the Shard. Security in these buildings is very arbitrary. I can get that some of the more high profile places feel more of a need for security, and assume that anyone up to no good will perhaps not be the brightest of the bunch and/or will go for more symbolic targets, but still.
    • fontain 4mo ago
      Right, the security is all theatre. My comparison is specifically to show that the security at Sky Garden (free) is not implemented to discourage free visitors when The View from The Shard charges lots of money and wants as many visitors as possible and has the same security.
      • vidarh 4mo ago
        I agree with that. Which tall buildings in London has security or not is really haphazard and absolutely correlates very little with fees.
• mr_toad 4mo ago
  > Is it to counter terrorism? They’re worried that if there was an incident they might get sued for having inadequate security. I’ve spent a lot of time going to places with security like this (airports, museums etc) and getting a belt with plastic buckles (you can get them at outdoor clothing stores) saves a lot of hassle.
  • GJim 4mo ago
    Frankly, I take a perverse delight in going backwards and forwards, slowly taking off my belt, keys, watch, small change and finally, steel toe boots.
• l23k4 4mo ago
  > the prohibition of "professional" photography equipment You want endless influencer photoshoots with professional lighting setups and whatnot?
  • stymaar 4mo ago
    I mean it's open to the public, or it's not… And if the owner get a say on who can enter and who cannot, then it's not.
    • l23k4 4mo ago
      I have to agree with rjjejriridd on this one, despite their inappropriate tone. Everyone knows "open to public" does not mean that you can operate a lemonade stand or conduct a professional photoshoot.
  • sidewndr46 4mo ago
    if that's what people want to do in public, sure.
• dataengineer56 4mo ago
  This has been the standard for most/all major tourist attractions for years now.
• mytailorisrich 4mo ago
  It's a mix of counter terrorism and of keeping the wrong crowd out.