When being "polite" is the worst thing you can do
So I am waiting in line to make a left turn, and the lead car in oncoming traffic just stops. He's holding up two lanes of traffic - the line of cars behind him and the line of cars waiting to turn left. What he was doing is trying to allow the person turning left to go in front of him instead of just making a right turn into the parking lot.
No. That is very bad. Do not do that.
The people behind you do NOT expect you to just stop in the middle of the street and block traffic. They might expect you to slow down to make a right turn but they are not expecting you to just sit there. You are just asking to get rear ended or cause someone else to have an accident. It is an irresponsible and dangerous move.
The left turners do not expect that either, so no one is moving and everything is at a standstill until the first person in line realizes what is happening and makes a quick left turn.
This is one of those times you should NOT be polite. Take your turn and get out of the way. You are a danger to everyone around you when you do something like this, because you are doing something that no one expects you to do. We have rules of the road for a reason, so when you break protocol you create a dangerous situation - even if you are doing it for the alleged purpose of being "polite."
Just follow the rules and take your turn. This is not difficult, people!