If possible, Vivian Vrolijk and her neighbor are in the water every day at ten o’clock. She crosses the street in her bathrobe and then drinks a cup of coffee with the neighbors. The social function of swimming is especially important to her. “You speak to your neighbors and are healthy at the same time. It is more than just a swimming pool. I will really miss that meeting place with the regular people,” she says.
She is one of the swimmers who is very disappointed with the shorter opening hours of the Flevoparkbad. Just like a number of swimmers who had not yet received the new times. “I cycled all the way here from North,” says a swimmer who is already wearing her bathing suit. “I cycled all the way over the Schellingwouderbrug and that other bridge. Very unfortunate.”
Calm
The reason for this change is that few people use the swimming pool between ten and twelve o’clock during the week, according to the municipality. “The outdoor pools are open even when the weather is bad. There are not enough people to cover the costs of staff, for example. We make this choice so that sufficient money is available for other components and activities, such as swimming lessons and affordable entrance tickets,” writes a spokesperson.
