Ken Livingstone hits out at sky-high price of a visit to London's Shard

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/jan/12/ken-livingstone-price-london-shard

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During their combative and often bitter rivalry, the former mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, has fallen out with Boris Johnson over bendy buses, tube fares and policing the streets. Now the cost of visiting the Shard, the capital's latest tourist attraction, is set to become another bone of contention.

Livingstone has called on his successor to subsidise trips to London's tallest building to ensure the original vision of public access to the tower is guaranteed. The Shard's viewing floor opens on 1 February with the cheapest adult tickets at £25, if bought online, £30 when bought in person and £100 for immediate, unbooked entry. A child ticket costs £19.

The former mayor believes many would-be visitors will be priced out of a trip up the tower as a result of the charges, which outstrip entry fees for the Eiffel Tower (£12), Empire State Building (£16) and the Leaning Tower of Pisa (£14). The view from the Shard is also considerably more expensive than other London attractions. The cheapest ticket for the London Eye is £17.28, while the Tower of London is £18 but there is a family ticket available at £47.

Livingstone, mayor from 2000 to 2008, has been a vociferous backer of the 310-metre glass-clad pyramid, which was built near London Bridge by architect Renzo Piano, complete with a four-storey viewing deck beginning at level 68. The Shard has 95 storeys and is the tallest building in western Europe, although the viewing deck cannot compete for height with those of the Eiffel Tower or the Empire State.

Last year Livingstone predicted: "People will feel (the Shard) belongs to them in a way Swiss Re or the BT Tower don't." But he said he understood concerns about the pricing policy of the View From the Shard company, which is marketing the attraction. Speaking to the Observer, he said the job of mayor was to ensure maximum access to London's facilities and alleviate the effects of high prices on the majority of Londoners.

"I saw the Shard as being like the Empire State Building," said Livingstone. "I originally wanted to have a similar tower at Bishopsgate which would have offered some price competition, and the Heron Tower was supposed to have public access but that is now a restaurant.

"Unfortunately everything in London is expensive and the job of the mayor should be to reduce some of the effects on people. We are living in a dual world in London where half the people cannot afford to visit places like the Shard. This is why we campaigned for so long to have free museums," he said.

As mayor, Livingstone introduced a scheme to allow every London pupil the right to have one visit to London Zoo free of charge. The scheme ran from 2001 to 2011 but was then cancelled by Johnson.

"If I were mayor, I would extend the London Zoo scheme to include the Shard to ensure that it can be enjoyed by more people," he said.

A spokesman for Johnson declined to comment on the price of visiting the Shard or Livingstone's proposal.

Travel specialists agreed that ticket prices were high compared with similar attractions. Joanna Kirby, the publisher of the Rough Guide to London, said: "The Shard viewing platform is very expensive compared to similar 'towers with views' worldwide and other London attractions that offer a view. The Shard may have unparalleled views of London but most other London sites offering scenic views of the capital, such as the Tower of London and St Paul's Cathedral, are also steeped in history so could be considered better value for money."

Clifton Wilkinson, editor of the Lonely Planet Guide to London, said that, in spite of the price, the attraction was sold out for its first two days. "People are excited by it now but only time will tell if it has longer-lasting appeal. The prices are high but you have to balance that with the fact that London has some incredible things on offer for free such as the British Museum," he said.

A trip to the Shard's viewing floor begins with two lift ascents to the 69th floor, which is enclosed, and the 72nd, which is open. The lift travels at six metres per second, or 13 miles per hour. Andy Nyberg, chief executive of View From the Shard, defended the prices.

"It is comparable to other attractions. We are offering a queue-free experience. If you go to similar places and pay for a queue-free ticket, it's about the same price," he said. "This is the only place in London where you can get a 360-degree view of the city. All the other big buildings are private. Here, anyone can come and look down at the river winding along and the train tracks spreading out from the base of the building like a spider's web. The historical perspective is unmatched. In the Shard we have a 21st-century tower across the river from the 11th-century Tower of London."