CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - The largest branch of the Greater Charlotte YMCA is encouraging those who use the facility to stay off their phones and exercise.
The Dowd YMCA staff has posted signs throughout the building this month asking members to leave the fitness area while taking a call, The Charlotte Observer reports (https://bit.ly/1L5CwQn).
People come to the center to “find balance” and having to listen to others’ cellphone conversations is interfering with their ability to do that, YMCA spokeswoman Molly Thompson said.
The Dowd YMCA will also step up enforcement of a long-standing policy prohibiting members from keeping bags with them while they are using the facility, Thompson said.
The new focus on the enforcement of the bag policy has received mixed reviews, but the cellphone rule is garnering plenty of praise.
“People talk way louder on calls than a regular conversation,” said 40-year-old Krista Woitkiewicz of Charlotte. “It is very annoying and distracting.”
People can continue to use their phones for texting and checking emails, Thompson said. Still, she encouraged phone users to make sure they are not preventing others from using high-demand exercise machines.
Both the cellphone and the bag policy apply to all YMCA of Greater Charlotte branches, but the prominent signs and the new focus on enforcement are unique to the Dowd branch.
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Information from: The Charlotte Observer, https://www.charlotteobserver.com
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