If you look up, you'll see cameras on the cables connecting the traffic lights. There are also trip-wires under the road near the stop lines. There is also a timer.
This is so that people moving on the main road (such as 441) don't get stuck having to stop when no one is actually trying to cross the road. Unfortunately, if the camera misses you at the wrong moment, you're stuck in the left turn lane for an extra cycle.
The trick to tripping the light, that I've experienced so far:
Look at the lights up ahead when you're far away. Are they red? Well - you're going to miss that cycle then, no matter what you do. Are they yellow? You have a chance. Are they green? If you scoot along at a steady quick clip and make it into the left lane before they turn yellow, it's POSSIBLE you'll get that extra left-turn signal before the next cycle. But you might have to wait til the next cycle anyway.
If you see you're going to miss the signal, then move SLOWLY into that left lane. Do -not- go all the way up to the line. Stop a car-length away. And then, as soon as the side-road gets THEIR left turn, slowly move up to the line. That'll trip it.
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