My wife is a Mapquest user, while I prefer Google Maps. For simple use they both come up with the same results, and both have an option to "Avoid Highways". Mapquest adds several options that Google lacks: Shortest Time or Shortest Distance, Avoid Tolls, and Avoid Seasonally Closed Roads. However, Google recently added something that I really like: you can force it to take the roads you want to use.

For example, let's say I want to go to South Shore Plaza in Braintree from Oak Point. Google maps takes me out Thompson Street to Rte 44, up 495 to 24, and then over on Rte 93 to the mall. That's certainly a reasonable way to go, but let's say I wanted to use different roads. Either Google or Mapquest will send me up Rte 18 if I choose "Avoid Highways", but neither will offer to take me up Rte 3. With Google Maps however, I can get whatever I want by simply dragging the blue route marker to where I want it to go.

I dragged it over to Rte 3, but got an interesting result: New directions using Rte 3. My intention was to go out Rte 44, but Google took me out through back roads instead. I could fix that by continuing to drag the line to the exact route I want (it helps to zoom in when making this kind of adjustment), but I realized that this was showing me possible shortcuts that could be useful when traffic is awful (yes, having a GPS device like a Tom-Tom would even be better, but I'm too cheap).

This feature becomes particularly interesting for comparing local shortcuts. Is it better to take 105 to Middleboro Center or use Precinct Street? No, that's too bumpy: drag it over to Plain Street instead. Zoom in and learn another way out to Rte 28.

This feature can get confusing, as Google will sometimes double-back on itself to return to the route it wants to take. If that happens, just use your browser's "Back" button to go back to where you were and then try dragging from a different point. You can also do it by only dragging the "end point" marker: drag that backwards to where you want to change the direction, then move forward to where you want to go. Dragging Google routes can be fun and you can learn a lot.

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