There is no nice way to say it — parking at the county DMV office on Third Street, Jamestown, is a nightmare.

It’s not just a matter of too few spaces. The parking lot’s layout is simply terrible. It’s difficult to swing a large vehicle into tight spaces without worrying about hitting the vehicles on the left or right of an open space. Backing out of a space in the parking lot is a harrowing experience, particularly when people are trying to make their way into the parking lot while more than one vehicle is trying to exit. A driver hit the building a few weeks ago, coming a few feet from injuring a worker inside the building. County Clerk Larry Barmore says accidents in the lot are a weekly happening.

Enough is enough.

One of the reasons for moving the DMV lot from Pine Street was that the building had a dedicated parking lot and would keep the DMV office within the confines of downtown Jamestown. It turns out 20 parking spaces isn’t worth much if you can’t use them with some relative ease.

City officials told Barmore on Monday they aren’t sure if reserving the parking spaces in front of the DMV building for DMV customers is legal or enforceable. If the spaces can’t be kept for DMV customers, then another solution should be arrived at quickly.

If a solution doesn’t materialize quickly, Barmore and the county should find a new building where parking isn’t such a hassle. It’s nice to have the DMV located in the heart of downtown, but is it really that much more convenient to travel to the outskirts of the city where parking is easier? In 2015 the county was close to leasing space in the former Ames department store building on Washington Street. Perhaps that’s the location that should have been chosen.

If parking for the DMV in Jamestown can’t be improved so that it is safe for customers and staff, then the office should move. And city officials shouldn’t feign indignance when it does.