I don't mean if you stop for a minute at the end of the lane to adjust your goggles or take a drink. I mean if you just... stop swimming. Whether that's to take a five minute break or to chat to someone else - or even to sit on the side and dangle your legs in.
It baffles me as to why so many people think this is okay, when there is a specific section of the pool next to the lane for general swimming - which means anything goes. Swim up and down, stand and lean on the side, jump in, float about in circles, whatever. The whole point of a lane is so that people can all swim in the same direction and turn easily at the end, rather than having to avoid someone hanging about there, possibly whilst also navigating slower or faster swimmers. Surely?
I genuinely have to wonder if I'm missing something here.