There are 3 lanes at my gym, each enough to fit an extra person, if I see 3 lanes have been taken, do I just jump into one lane, or should I ask first? How do you swimmers make this ask?
Assuming a lifeguard is on duty, I’d ask whether the patrons typically split lanes in half or circle swim.
I feel like asking the person in the lane might be a better idea. That’s like asking a cashier if people with their shopping carts obey the normal driving rules
Well depending on where OP is, there appear to be two prevailing sets of rules people might obey.
Why expect people to follow traffic rules in stores when many ignore them on public roads too?
Lifeguards are usually better at deciding lane-sharing rules, speaking as a former lifeguard. We didn’t enjoy swimmers changing best practices like circling or mixing speeds.
No life guard on duty, ever. It’s at like 5 am and sometimes there are ppl there already