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NSW authorities have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and served two driving violation citations for reported negligent driving after a swarm of electric bicycle users gathered on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during peak-hour traffic on Tuesday.

The Incident: An Illegal Gathering

A group of approximately 40 individuals operating e-bikes and motorcycles travelled along the primary roadway of the bridge, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The assembly then turned around and rode through the downtown area and Haymarket.

"There was potential for serious injury or fatalities," remarked a senior police official David Driver on the following day.

Police indicated they did not chase right away the group due to concerns for public safety but rather found the assembly at a scenic Sydney lookout near the Botanic Gardens, where they dispersed.

Penalties Issued for Influencer

Later in the week, police stated they had issued the American online personality who goes by Sur Ronster, 26, with two traffic infringement notices for negligent driving (not involving death or prior injury), with a penalty of $562 and three demerit points each, connected to the bridge ride-out. They added that inquiries were continuing.

The personality is said to have more than 3.4m subscribers on one platform and more than 1.2m on the social media app.

Creator's Response

The content creator gave comments to a local publication recently after the incident spread rapidly on digital platforms, saying he regretted giving "the biking community" a bad reputation.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. It was among the safest ride-outs I have witnessed," he told the publication. "I’m coming here as a guest, and I intend to abide by the laws and norms of Sydney. When I decided to do a meet and greet it was not meant to include a group ride, it was just to say hi near the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, it was my fault we ended up on the bridge and I had a decision to make: whether the group rides the full length of the bridge and comes back, which is a crime. Or we turn around, basically, before we’re on the bridge. I chose at the time to go back."

Broader Context on E-Bike Regulation

The spate of electric bicycles on roads nationwide has prompted growing calls for regulation. A senior government official, the minister, commented that non-compliant electric bikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Kids have done stupid things on bikes since the invention of the penny-farthing [but] the harm that are presenting at our hospital emergency departments are absolutely devastating," he said. "We’ve got to ensure we prevent these things entering the country [and] officers are given the authority to take strong action, to take them away, to destroy them, to destroy them."

NSW reported over two hundred injuries related to ebikes in the previous year. But, in the initial half of the following year, that number jumped to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four fatalities.