A Charlotte Criminal Attorney's Perspective on Traffic

My criminal law office is in the South Charlotte area. I like it that way- many criminal attorneys in the Charlotte area have their office next door to the courthouse. They prefer that. But I like the fact that my clients can find parking and not have to pay for it. I prefer my rent compared to uptown rent.  Many times my clients never have to see the Mecklenburg or Gaston county courthouse. They prefer a trip to uptown be reserved for a Panther game or a Saturday evening at the Epicenter. They rather a trip to Gaston County be for the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens , not the courthouse or my office.

However, occasionally the frustration does set in when I experience the bottleneck of traffic at the I485 and I77.  So my interest was peaked this morning when I saw the article in the Charlotte Observer, Making a case for urban road money, where the Observer reported that the DOT spent an average $3,756 for each North Carolinian during the past 10 years, but $2,967 per person in the most populous county, Mecklenburg. Yet, the county with the fewest people, Tyrrell, got the most road money. The article is worth a read. It is a hot topic- by 9:30AM online comments to the article were increasing.

You can't help but question where all the money goes. As a practicing criminal defense lawyer in the Charlotte area, I know police are still issuing traffic tickets, DUI/DWI arrests still occur on a daily basis, and I see the daily line of people paying their criminal fines at the courthouse. Did you know the minimum fine on a traffic ticket is $130! I'll keep doing my part and keep my clients out of that line. Meanwhile we have traffic bottlenecks, potholes and the Charlotte Observer to stir up the controversy.