Pretoria street makes ‘most eye-catching streets in the world’ list

A street in Groenkloof, a suburb in Pretoria, has been named one of the most eye-catching streets in the world, according to a recent study.

Herbert Baker Street in Groenkloof took fourth place in the top 20 most eye-catching streets in the world in a study conducted by a UK-based estate agent comparison site, GetAgent.

Using a small sample of 40 participants, the researchers used eye-tracking software to record the number of times people looked at each image and the duration spent looking at the street images. An average fixed time was then used to rank each street according to how “attractive” it seemed among a total of 50 streets from around the world.

What makes Herbert Baker Street attractive?

According to the GetAgent research, it was the beautiful Jacaranda trees lining the street that made the street an eye-catching street. Overall, the street had a total of 256 views and had 40 participants fixated for an average of 4.17 seconds.

“The street comes to life throughout the year, showing off its vibrant blossoms. These stunning shades of purple and white do make the street stand out, so there’s no surprise that it’s one of the top five most attractive streets overall,” the GetAgent research read.

Groenkloof ward councillor Shaun Wilkinson said the beauty of the street was mostly thanks to its residents.

“It’s the active citizens that live in the street that make an effort to beautify and maintain it,” Wilkinson said.

Active citizenry is the concept whereby residents become stakeholders in their neighbourhoods and communities.

He said the rare white Jacaranda trees that blossom during the spring made the street a favourite spot for tourists, “many visitors to the street enjoy the photo opportunities”.

“We thank the residents for making the effort to maintain their gardens and the municipal pavements outside their properties,” he said.

Groenkloof is also home to another tourist attraction, namely the Groenkloof nature reserve.

Pretoria’s street trailed behind the Philosopher’s Path pedestrian road in Japan that took the number 1 spot.

The Rue Principale found in a small cliff village in the south of France came second.

Beating the Pretoria street with merely a five seconds difference, the Via Baldassarre Galuppi street in Italy took the third spot.