“Okay google, would it be faster to take the subway or walk to the nearest UPS store?”
I asked my phone that today and really thought it might spit back a useful response. That’s the level of magic we’ve come to expect form our phones. It didn’t answer the question, and my response was mild disappointment instead of thinking “man wouldn’t it be cool if my phone could do THAT” — I feel reasonably sure that someday soon, it will.
If you have set your transportation preference to public transit, and you just issue a “navigate to” query I think if walking will be faster it will suggest a direct walking route, as it would direct you to walk to a bus stop or the like. I’m not sure though. I suppose it won’t work well if you prefer subways over buses or streetcars.