Swimming guests not happy with shorter opening hours
Most people were enjoying themselves in the hot tubs the evening the reported visited the swimming pool in Árbær. mbl.is/Kristinn Magnússon
The swimming pool guests at Árbæjarlaug swimming pool were happy the other night despite disagreeing with the planned shortening of the opening-time of Reykjavík’s swimming pools. A journalist at mbl.is went there and chatted with the guests.
The weekend opening time in all of Reykjavík’s swimming pools will be reduced to closing at 9 pm instead of 10 pm, starting on April 1.
However, the opening hours will be extended on holidays.
Hanna Ágústdóttir and Eyþór Snæland. mbl.is/Kristinn Magnússon
Many go swimming after 9 pm
The swimming pool guests, Eyþór Snæland and Hanna Ágústsdóttir, told the reporter that they almost only went swimming in the evening.
“It would be nice to keeping the opening hours as they are,” Ágústsdóttir says.
“It’s good on the holtidays, but I don’t understand the change on weekends,” says Snæland. “Guess, we’re always trying to save,” he laughs.
Snæland points out that the pool area is packed, even though the clock is over 21 pm.
Ágústsdóttir points out that they probably wouldn’t have gotten into the pool tonight if it closed at nine o’clock, but they had just gotten into the pool when the reporter caught up with them.
“We wouldn’t have made it if it closed at 21. I’m upset,” Snæland adds.
Matthías Magnússon, Agnar Ólafsson, Sigurður Kristjánsson and Steinþór Arnarson were discussing in the hot tub. mbl.is/Kristinn Magnússon
Could be open until midnight
Agnar Ólafsson, Matthías Magnússon, Sigurður Kristjánsson, and Steinþór Arnarsson said they were uncomfortable with the shorter opening hours at the weekend but they are thinking of solutions.
Ólafsson says he would have loved to have the swimming pools open until midnight , or at least in one or two swimming pools in Reykjavík.
“They could then be shortened the time in other places,” he says. This would allow you to go swimming after nine o’clock in the city on weekends.
Kristjánsson thinks it’s likely that many people are frustrated by the shorter opening hours on weekends because so many people go swimming.
“Personally, I almost always just go on weekdays because there are so many people here on weekends,” he says.
All right to charge older tourists
“At least I don’t like this,” says Arnarson. “You just assume somehow that it’s open and that you can take a little mental relaxation. It’s unbearable to sometimes show up and see that the pools are closed.”
Kristjánsson thinks it would make more sense to raise the entrance fee by a few ISK.
“Somebody mentioned the idea of charging senior citizens who are tourists. I think it’s okay, too,” he adds.
Magnússon wonders if the reason for the longer opening hours on holidays is because of the decrease in the number of parishioners in the National Church.
Tristan Máni Elizaldysson mostly goes to the swimming pool in the evening. mbl.is/Kristinn Magnússon
Should be open to 10 pm
Tristan Máni Elizaldysson says he goes swimming a lot, and most of the time in the evening.
“At least I don’t think the opening hours should be shortened to nine o’clock in the evening on weekends. I usually arrive rather late. It would be quite nice to be here until ten o’clock.
He says he is uncertain whether the longer opening hours on holidays will affect him.
