; Whereas Congress enacted the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 ( 42 U.S.C. 4151 et seq. ) to ensure that certain federally funded facilities are designed and constructed to be accessible to people with disabilities; Whereas the United States Access Board (referred to in this preamble as the Board ) recently issued a final rule on accessibility guidelines for pedestrian facilities in the public right-of-way that addresses various issues, including access for blind pedestrians at street crossings, wheelchair access to on-street parking, and various constraints posed by space limitations, roadway design practices, slope, and terrain; Whereas the new guidelines of the Board cover pedestrian access to sidewalks and streets, including crosswalks, curb ramps, street furnishings, pedestrian signals, parking, and other components of public rights-of-way; Whereas the aim of the Board in developing new guidelines is to ensure that access for persons with disabilities is provided wherever a pedestrian way is newly built or altered, and that the same degree of convenience, connection, and safety afforded the public generally is available to pedestrians with disabilities; Whereas, once the new guidelines developed by the Board are adopted by the Department of Justice, they will become enforceable standards under title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ( 42 U.S.C. 12131 et seq. ); and Whereas the United States was founded on principles of equality and freedom, and those principles require that all people, including people with disabilities, are able to engage as equal members of society: Now, therefore, be it