Swimming Lane Allocation - how does your pool arrange the lanes

We have a fast lane, two medium lanes and a double width slow lane

I think some number > zero collisions are inevitable. i try not to get cross about it, most brushes/thumps/kicks/scratches don't really hurt. People usually apologise & carry on.

Mind, I will say I try to avoid lane sharing with breaststrokers due to collision risk, they do most the kicking scratching & thumping in my experience, often hitting people in next lane over, irk.

Local university sports centre pool. Whole pool is divided into lanes (having a momentary blank as to whether there are four or five). No categorisation by speed - you walk in, check who's there and how fast they're going, and slot in where you think you'll fit. If there are only two in a lane, pick a side and just go up and down that side rather than up one, down the other. People change lanes as others come and go so if there are three of you in one lane, and someone leaves another lane so there's space, you duck under the rope and use that lane.

Sounds like UTTER CHAOS but weirdly works. I don't hink I've ever been in a lane with more than two other people which obviously helps.

I think if the lanes were marked with speeds I'd be quite cautious about going because I really have no idea which lane I fit in - and some days it probably depends on who else is in there.

Double lane for slow, single lane for medium / fast.

double lane for slow usually fine apart from the 7.30 am slot when the two elderly ladies like a natter. One swims very slowly forwards the other very slowly next to her or she walks backwards in front of her and they have a good gossip.

I just cannot go to that slot anymore because I get in a rage before I have even started work. They obviously don’t work so why can’t they go later!

Exactly this. I cant be doing with having to swim at the slowest speed of the person in my lane or if I go in the fast lane, risk being the slowest person and have people swimming into my toes.

My last pool was a Nuffield one. At the times I could go half the pool was reserved for lessons and there were one or two lanes for swimming. Invariably taken up by one man in each who wouldn't give way. I ended up cancelling my membership. Lanes only work if everyone is courteous and staff ask them to let people pass if not.

I wish there was some universal lane swimming code tbh 😅🙈 my personal preferences would be....

1. Must swim in the lane of your actual current speed right now (not the speed you were when you were 20 cough cough looking at you middlw aged men folk!!)
2. If someone is catching you up or closing in just bloody well pause at end of length and let them go first ffs
3. Walking lane added when needed for those that cant/won't take feet off floor and/or want to go 2 abreast chatting (totally legitimate use of pool just not fair to have in the slow lane imo)
4. If lots of people are having a nice little rest in shallow end MOVE to the side pls so we can finish our lengths without having to plough into your midriff 😅
5. Some limit on numbers attending per session and some diplomatic guidance from staff where needed for regular offenders/breakers of my made up rules above 😅

Could you define 'collision' ?

Just switch lanes through your session. No one ever checks, or at least not the 2 pools I use

OP: are you wanting lanes to be sorted by speed so you reliably swim with similar speed people to you, is the actual problem that you encounter that the slow swimmers can't handle you overtaking or splashing? Or are you getting run over by 12 year club swimmers or big guys doing fast butterfly or ... I imagine you'll get listened to more by the gym administrators if you explain what is the specific problem you encounter under current system, how your swimming is made difficult.

I have attended lanes swimming in 3 USA cities, France, lots of English cities and towns in last 5 years. Lanes can mean anything from 5 verbally very described speeds to no speed sorting at all or maybe one seemingly begrudged 'fast' lane... may mean 2 people max/ narrow lane or up to 12 swimmers in a single wide lane, lanes can be 22 to 50m long. The lane count and speeds & and location can definitely change over the course of a few hours, especially if aerobics classes start or someone has booked a lane for special teaching session. In London I was the fastest by far in the pool but in another pool on another day I might be the very slowest in the entire pool. I try to just roll with what I find.

Generally pools count ‘lanes’ as the width of a standard lane. So ‘two lanes available’ on a 6 lane pool would be one third of the width available for lane swimming. Which might either be one double width or two single width.

Generally life guards will have a rough set of instructions, but also adjust it to what’s going on if they’re being proactive. Eg. Lots of lane swimmers, not much casual users, shove an extra lane in for a bit. Snail slow and steady plodding along piling in the slow, split it and put a medium in. Fast generally is the narrow one, and if have two lanes for fast then split to two fast lanes rather than one double width. Anyone swimming in fast can managed sensible over takes in single width lanes. Medium and slow swimmers not so much.

I love swimming but don’t go because of all the palaver about fast lanes, medium lanes and slow lanes.

I don’t want to keep up with others, I want to swim at my own speed and swim in lanes just make everything a competition .

How does that work if you want to switch strokes during the session? I'd probably want to be in the medium lane doing front crawl, but if I switch to breaststroke, I'd be too slow for that lane and need to move to the slow lane.

Ours is two swim school/club training lanes, two "sport" lanes, two "leisure" lanes and a slightly larger lane that is anything goes. There's another small pool for beginner lessons/schools.

So it's clear, but it's not regulated and no one is ever asked to move lanes. I got whacked twice on Thursday by the same man in the neighbouring lane. This weekend I went swimming in the lake and I'm hoping that can continue til autumn!

They seem to have a flexible approach so at one pool there are up to five lanes, really wide slow lane, two medium and a fast. The Iane at the end seems to be by request, butterfly, backstroke generally inhabited by men powering up and down. There’s also a leisure pool so if not swimming lengths they will ask you to move the chat.

Another pool they just seem to make lanes as needed. There’s possibly space for six lanes and if people turn up to do proper swimming they make a lane takes two minutes. Lots of people a couple more lanes but half the pool is for family time.

@TheNumberfaker this is like the pool I swim in. Works well most of the time. Occasionally find a slow swimmer in the middle lane

This is very interesting. I wish other pools had this system .

I've never been in a pool with a truly unpredictable setup. They always say (somewhere in the timetable) what set up you'll get by booking at that time at the venue.

Maybe you just need info where the detailed timetable is to be found?

Mine has one lane, and the rest is open pool. Most days the lane is Fast Lane. I think there are 3 hours in the week, when it is Medium Lane. There are 8 bookable spaces in the lane,but never more than 3 swimmers in it. 8 would be ridiculous. Some days the lane is used for lessons.

Ours has two fast lanes, two medium lanes, and a big lane for slow that looks about three lanes wide. This is early ish in the mornings. You have to book in advance. The 8:30 session is best because most drift away by 9 or so and the pool is then uncrowded til 10 when they take the lanes away and school groups come in.

In general everyone sticks to the right speed, although tbh I am slow-ish but am forced into medium because slow is where the walkers and head up chatting breast strokers are. So really there should be fast/ medium/ slow for actual swimming, and another area for not-swimming.

I rarely go now, due to ridiculous lanes / clubs / allocations. There are just too few pools and as a child / young adult, there were 5 council pools I could use, and when I wanted, now the windows for use are tiny. Another shortsighted cut to keeping us healthy and don't get me started on the price!

My pool seems to have got it sorted, at least on Sunday morning when I go! Opens at 8 ,first hour and a half is adult only lane swimming, three lanes , slow medium fast. At about half past eight the separate training pool is opened for kids lessons. Then at about quarter past nine the pool is reconfigured so most of the shallow end is available for family swimming while the rest is still available for adult swimmers to do their thing. I get out then , so not sure what happens afterwards, I think at some point all the lanes are removed for family and general swimming.

I have to say the quietness of that first half hour is blissful, just the sound of the water as people swim quietly up and down, perfect!…….. I don’t mind the sounds from the training pool really, but the first half hour is wonderful. I wish it opened a bit earlier though , be nice to get it done and dusted .