In Great Britain most pools have three lanes: fast lane(for free style), medium lane and slow lane.
Here in Germany pools aren't divided at all. People just swim anyway and anywhere they want to which makes it impossible to do proper work outs.
I had to join a private gym with a pool in order to do my work outs because public pools are a drag in Germany.
How are most public pools in the US? Do they all have a fast, medium and slow lane or does it depend?
Highly variable is my experience in the US ... but, having swum a few times in the UK (~10 swims in 3 or 4 pools in the greater London area), the public or shared pools I get to in the US are always significantly less crowded so it doesn't seem to be as much of an issue. What I have noticed, though, is that at many "gym" / sports club pools in the US, people generally don't seem to know how to or have a desire to circle swim ... so you'll find 6 lanes with 12 people swimming side-by-side and a handful of people waiting on the deck for a lane to "free up." In the UK, Canada, Japan and Australia (I think the only other countries I've done some training in), there doesn't seem to be this problem.
Highly variable is my experience in the US ... but, having swum a few times in the UK (~10 swims in 3 or 4 pools in the greater London area), the public or shared pools I get to in the US are always significantly less crowded so it doesn't seem to be as much of an issue. What I have noticed, though, is that at many "gym" / sports club pools in the US, people generally don't seem to know how to or have a desire to circle swim ... so you'll find 6 lanes with 12 people swimming side-by-side and a handful of people waiting on the deck for a lane to "free up." In the UK, Canada, Japan and Australia (I think the only other countries I've done some training in), there doesn't seem to be this problem.
