As we've pointed out in prior blogs, the BETA site is always evolving. We are continuing to add brand new features but are also bringing in popular ones that are currently on the classic MapQuest site. We know one of the favorites is our Advanced Routing options, and starting today, it's also integrated into MapQuest BETA.
We like to think of Advanced Routing as a way of giving our users more control to customize their own routes. This feature appears as a "More Options" text link at the top of your direction search results.(See screenshot below).
Once you click on More Options you'll be able customize your route in many ways.
The default on MapQuest is always Shortest Time, but there are a few other great options to choose from like the ability to avoid toll roads, highways and/or seasonally closed roads. You can also reverse your route from this menu when wanting to get turn-by-turn directions going back the same way you just came.
Here's an example of how the Advanced Routing feature recently came in handy:
Mike is a MapQuest colleague and also a huge baseball fan. While doing business in New York City, he flew out early and wanted to see the best way to get from John F. Kennedy International Airport to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Mike typed in the airport code, "JFK", as his start location and "Cooperstown, NY" in the end. (That's right, MapQuest also recognizes an airport's address if you know the three letter airport code) The recommended route would get him from the airport to Cooperstown in a little over 4 hours but also let him know that there's a number of tolls in his turn-by-turn results. He preferred to save a few bucks and clicked on "More Options" and then on "Avoid Tolls". Mike now had a route that was about the same number of miles but was going to be around 20 minutes longer. He said he didn't mind the extra minutes and the road without tolls was a better option for his pocketbook.
As with everything in the new beta site, we're giving you more control of your navigation experience. Stay tuned – more to come!
