Swimming Lane Allocation - how does your pool arrange the lanes

[Jewel1968]

I am quietly going mad trying to understand how my local pool decides on lane allocation.

By way of examples:
Some days there will be:

• one large lane for medium swimmers with swimmers of all different speeds trying to navigate each other.
• 3 narrow lanes Fast, Medium and Slow
• One double lane for Slow alongside two narrow lanes for Fast and Medium
• Two double lanes for Medium and Slow
• Two narrow lanes for Medium and Slow

When you book on their app you gave no idea what awaits you. You simply book Adult Lane swimming.

I am probably a medium swimmers and a fast swimmer on a good day.

I think the problem is they are trying to have too many different things going on at once e.g. lessons, open swimming and lane swimming and it doesn't work. And it's inconsistent and unpredictable.

I was wondering if there are examples out there of better management I could reference in an email to the pool management. Grateful if you could share good examples of pool management.

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.

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

@lljkk there are a couple of problems I encounter. I have a disability so want to avoid collisions if there are fast swimmers, slow swimmers and medium swimmers all in one double lane there is lots of overtaking and collisions happen. The other irritation (but more minor) is being stuck behind a number of slow swimmers. I always hop between lanes to find the best lane but that's difficult when there is only one lane available.

Could you define 'collision' ?

@lljkk things like in a big lane (size of two narrow lanes) fast swimmer is overtaking slower swimmer but they stray into oncoming swimmer who is coming in other direction and either kick or hit the oncoming swimmer because they have misjudged space and time. It could be because the slower swimmer is taking up more space than usual.

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 😅

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.

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!

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.

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.

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