frankly, I wish there were a lot more settings to optimize for in google maps. I actually prefer to stay off the highway for short trips, even if it takes a little longer. it feels super wasteful to accelerate up to 60+ mph to merge safely, then slam on the brakes one or two exits later. similarly, google will often send me through complicated (and therefore dangerous, imo) intersections which could be avoided completely with a couple extra turns. sometimes I'm not in any real hurry to get somewhere; it would be nice to have a "scenic route" option for these cases.
unfortunately, I suspect the simplicity is more a deliberate design choice rather than mere laziness. I'm not holding my breath for these features, but I hope that one day a viable competitor may emerge to offer navigation for power users.
> similarly, google will often send me through complicated (and therefore dangerous, imo) intersections
Reminds me of another Google Maps story. Was picking up something second hand, so was driving somewhere unfamiliar. I followed Google Maps, and the route seemed reasonable.
Then I hit the residential area where my destination was. Google Maps told me to drive up this really narrow road to get onto another road. Looked really weird, but I couldn't see any other choice besides a long detour so I carefully drove up that road.
At my destination, I told the woman I was buying from about Google Maps and that narrow road. "So _that's_ why all those people are driving on that pedestrian road" she exclaimed.
unfortunately, I suspect the simplicity is more a deliberate design choice rather than mere laziness. I'm not holding my breath for these features, but I hope that one day a viable competitor may emerge to offer navigation for power users.