double left turn lane, two different lights.
 

hope this isnt confusing.

there are 3 lanes (numbered 1, 2, and 3) and two traffic lights in front of you.
1 is left turn lane only
2 is left turn and/or straight
3 is right turn only

one traffic light is designated left turn light (green is a green left arrow) in front of lane 1.

the second main light is a standard light but also has a green left turn in front of lane 2.

now let's forget about lane 3 becuase it has nothing to do with the story.

okay.... here we go.

both lights turn green, so lanes 1 and 2 can go left (or straight if in lane 2).

lane 1 goes red and light at lane 2 is still green but the left turn light is off.

so on coming traffic does their thing and now the intersection is empty except you at lane 2, waiting to turn left.

Can you turn left in lane 2 and in lane 1 even if the light in lane 2 is green but left turn green is off and lane 1 left turn light is red?

is that confusing?

So you're thinking of the situation where you've got

LEFT LEFT who cares
goes to

RED REGULAR GREEN who cares

I would think then that the middle lane is allowed to go straight only? but then again if you're in the second lane waiting to turn you can't simply stop and wait for a light.

have you ever actually seen this anywhere?

No.

in the case where there is a light designated for allowing people to turn left, you can only turn left when that light is illuminated. The people in lane 2 that want to go straight, but are stuck behind someone who is turning left are SOL (if the arrow is not illuminated).

What intersection is this?

Is this the intersection of Broadway/Como Lake and Clarke/North Road near SFU? If it is, then you can turn left from the middle lane because there is not a designated left turn traffic light just for left turns. It's just a left turn arrow tacked on underneath the regular green light, isn't it? If it does not have a specific red light that is ONLY for the left turn lane, then you can turn if the coast is clear on the regular green light.

no.. this is at 146 st and hwy 10 in Surrey. I was leaving Surrey Prov Court on a work related thing. Leaving Surrey court and driving south on 146 and turning left on to hwy 10. I was in lane 2 and I turned left, but the car in lane 1 decided to turn left even though he had a red left turn light.

Don't know that one then. Most times when I see two left turn lanes, there isn't a separate light that tells you that you can't turn left even though thru traffic is green. If there was a separate light that specifically does not allow you to turn left, then if you're in lane 2 and want to go straight and there's a car in front wanting to turn left, you'd just have to wait then I guess.

JHatta has it right. If there is a red light prohibiting movement ( the red left turn arrow) then you cannot make that particular movement.

since you both had your own lanes, the driver on your left could potentially turn in-sync with you if the oncoming lane was clear and it would be fine.

but as I said before, you should not have turned left (even though you had a green light), as I'm sure the green arrow dictates ALL left turn movement coming from that direction. It wouldn't make sense if one lane could turn left, while the other lane couldn't. You may have slightly more visibility, being on the right, but you are still turning left.

There are lots of intersections in Richmond that are similar to this. Left lane is for turning left and going straight, while right lane in for right turn only. If someone is in the left lane turning left, anyone going straight thru has to wait until they turn left. It is possible to swing into the right lane and bypass the left-turner, but you risk getting hit by someone turning left in the opposite direction. And you will be in the wrong, since you are violating the lane behaviour.