Tabi Walters
“[A] 140-home enclave set on rolling hills between the Huron River and Whitmore Lake Road” and “a masterpiece of the landscaper’s art.” That’s how a June 2005 Observer piece, “The Buried History of Barton Hills,” described Barton Hills Village (BHV). Two decades later, there’s trouble in paradise.
In April, the Village introduced a security pilot program in partnership with private security firm Signal Security. Its purpose, according to the March edition of the Barton Bulletin, is to “assess whether a professional, visible presence can reinforce safety expectations, reduce unauthorized road use, and help residents feel more comfortable using our roads during peak activity times.”
However, the pilot has drawn criticism from nonresidents who enjoy running and cycling through the Village. “Local runners have run through Barton Hills for decades, always respectfully, from what I’ve seen,” says one longtime user of the Village who did not wish to be named. “It’s a beautiful place to run in its own right, but also the safest way to connect to the dirt roads beyond the neighborhood. It’s a shame that there’s resistance to such use of the roads, especially when their own report showed that one of the biggest safety issues on the Barton Hills roads is speeding by village residents.”
The report in question is an independent traffic study commissioned last summer by BHV. It found that daily trespassing accounted for 3.1 to 4 percent of entries, and that 96 percent of daily speeders were “insiders”—residents, guests, staff, service providers, or members of the country club.
“I have cycled with Wheels In Motion and other groups and have never encountered an issue,” writes another Ann Arborite who uses the Village’s roads. “Then, in 2025, new FLOCK cameras appeared at the main entrance … along with signage that outright bans groups of runners. … While I have not encountered any security while riding through Barton Hills, others have and have been told to leave.”
Indeed, a sign at the Whitmore Lake Rd. entrance reads: “PRIVATE PROPERTY & PRIVATE ROADS,” “NO TRESSPASSING” (sic), and “NO UNAUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES (GROUP RUNS).”
Even if the sign has a spelling mistake or three—an errant “s” having apparently slipped its way into “trespassing,” for example—it leaves little doubt about its meaning: strangers are not welcome in BHV. | Krishnan Anantharaman
During a visit to the Village in May, I spoke with a resident who told me that groups of runners have become a “chronic issue.” According to BHV’s Board of Trustees, in a statement issued to the Observer, BHV “has experienced increasing traffic and mixed road use over time, including vehicles, pedestrians, runners, and cyclists sharing narrow, curving private roads without shoulders. The Village’s roads are governed by ordinances limiting use to residents, guests, and authorized visitors.”
While there, I also spoke with a Signal Security officer out on patrol. As we chatted, he waved at passing cars, and though he wasn’t authorized to make a statement, he encouraged me to stay safe as I cycled off.
Related: Tax Imbalance (March 2026)