MapQuest Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of AOL Inc., launched a pedestrian routing mode on MapQuest.com making walking directions more direct than ever. Additionally, a new rail transit option links the pedestrian mode with public rail transportation routing in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and Boston, reaching roughly 90 percent of the nation's rail ridership.

The new nationwide pedestrian mode allows walking travelers to be routed down one-way streets, pedestrian malls, through parks and along designated paths; while the new transit routing option provides departure and arrival information, helpful hints to alert train passengers and station search information in designated cities.

"The new MapQuest routing options for walking directions and transit can work separately or together to meet customers' preferences," said Ann Koerner, director of consumer products, MapQuest. "MapQuest has always listened to our customer needs. The pedestrian mode and rail transit option are a direct response to one of the top requested features from our customers and help us continue to be the trusted source for all types of maps and directions."

MapQuest worked with San Francisco-based, geospatial data and mapping company, Urban Mapping, to develop its transit option, and has plans for additional city content is 2011.