Avram > Also, if you allow kol haolam kulo to merge in front of you, that’s fine for you, but who permitted you to sentence the driver behind you to a delay?
Exactly, and concur with your other considerations. There are lots of halochos and heshbonos here, and there is no time to look up Mishna Berurah.
And it does depend on local minhagim. In one suburban area, there is a long major road with multiple subdivisions opening up. Most people who turn into their subdivision first hold traffic, letting 1-2 of their neighbors to get out. Everyone is ok with that, because they all experience same wait time to get to the road. Try this in any other place, forget NYC, and you’ll indeed be honked. And people who you are letting go, feel like this is a trap and do not move anyway. So, I think we agree here both on desirability of being a mentch, but also of challenges. As long as you are trying, you’ll achieve something. I am also wondering whether there is an effect here – I tried estimating whether letting someone in, increases the chance that they’ll let someone in after that. I think there are papers and gemoras about good behavior being as contagious as the bad one.