Google Maps has just rolled out a feature I’ve wanted for a long time – the ability to click a button and get directions that don’t rely on highways to get you to where you need to go.

I can’t tell you how useful this would have been when I lived in Los Angeles and every single time I would look up a direction on Google Maps it would tell me to take either the 101, the 405, or the 10. Anyone who has ever lived in Los Angeles knows that you don’t want to be anywhere near those beasts from about 3:30pm – 7:30pm on any given day. Online map directions were basically rendered useless in L.A.

But here’s Google Maps now with a ‘Avoid Highways’ check box. Brilliant not only for places like Los Angeles, but for those trips when sometimes you just want to take the scenic route…