Plan to close 38 driver-exam stations spares the Valley

Staff and wire report

CINCINNATI

Nearly half of Ohio’s 79 driver’s license testing stations would close, and some would be replaced by regional “super stations,” under a state proposal estimated to save about $706,000 annually.

The recommendation put together by State Highway Patrol Capt. Carl Roark has been offered also as a way to increase efficiency, The Cincinnati Enquirer reported from information it obtained through a public records request.

According to the plan, however, none of the three driver-exam stations in the Mahoning Valley — in Canfield, Niles and Lisbon — would be closed.

Ohio Department of Public Safety spokesman Geoff Dutton cautioned that the plan that calls for shutting down 38 testing sites might not be adopted in its entirety and is recommended for implementation in phases.

One super station with longer hours would replace four of the current southwest Ohio stations that handle a combined total of about 400 driver tests per day, the newspaper reported. The super station would be open Monday through Saturday with extended hours, Dutton said.

“Expanded hours will be a welcome change for many people, even if it means they might have to drive a few miles further,” Dutton said.

Another super station would be located in the Cleveland area. Mobile driver testing — administered from three large RVs driven into rural parts of Ohio — would be eliminated under the plan.

Other driver services such as vehicle registrations, titles and license reinstatements are provided by other offices and wouldn’t be affected, Dutton said.

Some in southwest Ohio have concerns.

Hamilton Mayor Pat Moeller said the loss of a station in his community would mean less vehicle and pedestrian traffic and fewer dollars spent with local businesses.

Yahanna Mathews, of Loveland in suburban Cincinnati, worried about added inconvenience for parents.