CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – David Kulback is a Clarksville native, a veteran of 24 years, and he’s handicapped. He’s seen firsthand how handicapped parking violations are ignored, and he says the City of Clarksville is letting veterans down.
He spoke to the City Council last week, expressing his frustrations over handicapped parking violations that continue to plague the city, with little to nothing being done about it.
Research shows no enforcement
Kulback said he filed a public records request and found that only six people were cited for handicapped parking violations during 2022. The records also show that every citation went unpaid, he said.
“Tennessee law states that anyone who violates handicapped parking laws are subject to a large fine and community service assisting the handicapped,” Kulback said. “It shows how seriously our state government treats the problem, but the law isn’t useful if not enforced. Just in this year, I’ve confronted seven violators myself.”
The majority of the violators he confronted were delivery drivers, and they typically responded, “I’ll only be here for a minute.” As food delivery services continue to grow, Kulback said he worries the problem will get worse.
Kulback has called the Clarksville Police Department three times, but not a single citation was handed out.
A CPD officer did offer him some advice, that if a violator is in a handicapped parking spot, take a picture of the vehicle with the license plate, then bring the evidence to the authorities.
However, City Attorney Lance Baker later told Kulback the advice was insufficient. An officer has to be on-site to issue a handicapped parking citation.
Start with public education
Kulback ended his time by speaking on what he believes is a good starting point – public education.
“With everything considered, I’d say the City of Clarksville shows a pattern, practice and policy of ignoring violations of handicapped parking laws,” Kulback said. “If the city wants to reverse this growing trend, a good starting point would be public education. Use the newspapers … use the radio stations; let the city know that you’ll be paying attention to this issue.”
Councilpersons Deanna McLaughlin and Karen Reynolds continued to hear Kulback out following the meeting.
Mayor Joe Pitts told Clarksville Now that the city takes every citizen’s concerns seriously and plans to look into the issue.
Correction: David Kulback’s last name was misspelled in a previous version of this article.