Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner wants New York State to take responsibility for its potholes so that motorists won’t be stuck paying for repairs to their cars after being damaged by running into a pothole in a state road.
“If your car is damaged because you went over a pothole on a New York State owned road  between Nov. 15 through May 1 you are out of luck,” Feiner said. “If your car is damaged on a town, city or village owned road you can get reimbursed only if the municipality was provided with advance written notice and did not make the repairs. If you drive on a state owned road and your car is damaged due to the pothole the state doesn’t have to give you a penny!”
Feiner said that the state law exempting the state from liability for pothole damage on its roads between Nov. 15 through May 1st should be changed.
“New York State should be treated no differently than local governments treat motorists,” Feiner said. “If you drive on a town, city, village road and go over a pothole and your car was damaged the local government is responsible if the municipality had received written notice and did nothing about it. ”
Feiner blamed the State Legislature for not taken adequate steps to ensure that state-owned roads are properly maintained. He cited numerous potholes on Knollwood Road in Greenburgh, on Central Ave, on portions of Dobbs Ferry Road and on Broadway in the river villages as examples of fixes that are needed.
While not being specific about steps he’d be taking to change the law, Feiner did credit former Assemblyman Tom Abinanti with having tried to pass legislation that would have enabled motorists to get reimbursed for pothole related damages if the state receives written notice about the potholes and does nothing to fix them.