To create my own lane

Ah, you're one of those fast lane swimmers...
When you swim with a club, the lanes are carefully grouped by speed and ability. You are also all doing the same thing at the same time (including a number of timed rest intervals where everybody stands about and has a bit of chat...). It is unrealistic to expect this in a public lane setting, where you can expect your set to be interrupted or need adjusting to fit with the rest of the lane and what they are doing. I generally avoid lane swims and stick to training for this reason, but if I need to do a 'make up' swim, I go knowing a little flexibility and consideration is needed. I may plan a free speed set, but turn up and find it needs to be a kick set or breaststroke so I can match in with the pace of the 4 people already happily swimming in my lane. If you are that good, it is very easy to know how to get the most out of the session working with the lane you have on the day.
If you are having to stop every time because the entire wall is blocked, then of course YANBU, but you need to speak up or complain to the lifeguard.
As for who should be in the fast lane, our pool lists it as for those who swim 25m in <30 secs. A very fast swimmer can be twice as fast as someone at the lower end of this bracket, so there is always going to be a bit of variation of speed needed to work with others in the lane. Or if you look at it a different way, you have 3 lanes which should ideally be evenly filled. The fastest 33% will be classed as 'fast'. Swimmers' speed will form a bell graph and unlike the middle 33%, the fast lane is going to include a huge range of speeds from 'slightly above average' to 'elite' (ditto the slow lane having the same wide range). Even taking the fastest lane when 6 lanes are available, there is still a huge difference between the speed of someone who is in the fastest 16% and fastest 1%.

It also appears you are assuming everyone commenting here are no-nothing rec swimmers. You are not the only competitive swimmer, teacher or coach on this thread.

Why not just go and read the signs?

I’m the last person to do a tinkly laugh and a head tilt 🤣

Just trying to point out that everyone can be annoying to someone else.

Well yes you are responsible. How are you aware of all the gesturing from people if you can only see the odd head bobbing…one of the reasons you set up to show you were required to ignore the current rules set up by the pool and adhered to by everyone else?

Just because it doesn’t 100% suit you it doesn’t mean it doesn’t apply to you.

Do you also have this disregard to speed when driving? 😆

I’m afraid to me this just sounds a bit entitled and childish on your part. If you don’t like the system go at a time the pool is quieter, or maybe speed up?

Swimming is an an absolute PITA for just this reason. There usually aren’t enough lanes for serious swimming. It’s impossible to swim in the non lane area, yet people do it, and I end up constantly telling my daughter to watch out for people swimming lengths and get the occasional tut and huff when she gets in their way.
There needs to be times for dedicated lane swimming when the whole pool is laned off, and times dedicated to children and families with no lanes at all. Pools with play areas that also have a plain pool for lengths, that pool should also be totally laned off and no one who isn’t seriously swimming should be allowed in.

This kind of thing is why people find exercise so difficult.

'Swim lane etiquette' is hideous and often just an excuse to engage in a bit of playground sneering and bullying.

Slow swimmers have just as much right to be in the pool as everyone else, pay exactly the same fees, yet a lot of 'good' swimmers think the waters should literally part for them (although admittedly that would ruin the swim).

I am a slow swimmer (probably about a minute a length) but I do swim 'properly' don't chat and rarely stop at the ends.

So if the slow lane is full (more than 4 people) and the medium lane is empty, I'm going to swim in that one.

Fast swimmers need to learn that if they show up at the busiest times, they are not going to get a lane to themselves to plough up and down unfettered.

The equivalent in the gym would be runners trying to kick people of the treadmills for walking.

Often swimming is the only exercise people with mobility problems or injuries can do.

Everyone should have the right to exercise, and feel comfortable and accepted.

'Serious swimmers' are the worst for making people feel exercise isn't for them.

The signage is there if you choose to read it which it doesn't sound like you did. Just made up your own rules 🙄

Surely, if you are there to swim laps, you'd start in the designated 'slow' lane to gauge where you are at? Or ask someone? I'm also pretty sure you'd know if you belonged in the 'fast' lane so your 'confusion' doesn't quite hit the mark.
Concentrating too much on the 'tone' of the post rather than the actual content never goes well. Execution rarely equals intent.

I should also add that in the gym, I find those people who hog two machines at once so they can do 'sets' equally as annoying.

This is why you don't want official numerical speeds. The speeds vary as the people vary. If you are too fast or slow you just change lanes for the next lap.

Oh, and once you are in the right lane, please keep an eye out for faster people and make sure you let them overtake at the ends.

Awesome diagram OP! How do you swim without arms? 😄

Swim lane etiquette is an absolute nightmare, why don’t you chat to the lifeguards/managers and see if a medium lane cane be created in the middle? They need to rope the lanes off really.

Based on your diagram @AuDHD4Me and the suggestion above, what I would suggest to the lifeguard/managers is if they could put a rope/lane divider to the outside/right of the set of lanes to the left of your stick figure & same again to the outside/left of the swimmers that would be to your rhs, thereby creating a new middle lane/medium speed lane.

If you can't see what's going on around you in a fast-moving environment, you really need to be wearing something that will help you see better, sensory issues or not.

Do you move back into the slow lane if the medium lane gets busy, and do you wait at the end for faster swimmers if one comes into the lane @hamsterno1 ?

I move back into the slow lane if the medium lane fills up.

And yes I do let people overtake at the end if they need to.

But if they do that foot tapping business they'll get short shrift.

That’s all I ask of anyone @hamsterno1. I don’t understand foot tapping either.

Although I got tapped on the bottom by a woman doing backstroke in the lane next to me today. I’m pretty sure she was signalling “I need to improve my technique” 😁

What OP describes isn't lanes, it's just an open area. So I can't blame the zigzagger, either.

Why don't they have lanes & circulation signs, I wonder.

We have open sessions with no ropes & most people swim up & down. But that's out of preference, there are no rules.

A backstroker took a painful slice out of my leg once (with her nails), because she couldn't keep to her side of a very busy lane. As time went on it turned out she annoyed pretty much everyone she swam with. I understand that some folk prefer backstroke but you cannot just disregard other swimmers either.

Not a regular swimmer... more a gym bunny myself, but this has opened up a whole new world I didn't give a fuck about know existed. Can we start up a weights station hogger thread please?