Thought the same thing when they put one of those in near my place, figured it was just me being picky. Then I actually stood at the curb one night waiting to cross and realized I couldn't see anything light up at all, just had to guess when it was safe. Turns out the signs are aimed at drivers by design so they actually notice you, but that leaves the walker standing there blind. Try calling Bothell public works, they handle the signal stuff, or snap a pic and send it through the city's fix it form.

Why do you assume the cheap bins are even a real option? I've been down this road and the $12 ones from the big box store crack in cold weather, the lids pop off when you hit a bump, and the latches snap the first time you actually load them down. You end up buying three sets of junk over two years, which costs more than the fancy one you keep seeing ads for. The $400 thing is following you around because the algorithm knows cheap plastic fails and you'll be back shopping again anyway. So yeah, maybe you're stuck with it, and maybe that's not the rip off you think it is.