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New South Wales police have issued a fine against an US-based online influencer and handed out two driving violation citations for reported negligent driving after a swarm of electric bicycle users gathered on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the busy commute on Tuesday.

The Event: A Prohibited Ride

A group of around 40 people riding electric bikes and motorbikes travelled along the bridge’s main deck, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The riders then turned around and rode through the downtown area and a nearby district.

"This had a risk of people to be injured and killed," remarked NSW police assistant commissioner the officer on Wednesday.

Law enforcement indicated they did not chase right away the riders due to concerns for public safety but rather found the group at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the Botanic Gardens, where they dispersed.

Fines Imposed for Content Creator

On Saturday, police announced they had issued the American online personality known as Sur Ronster, twenty-six, with two traffic infringement notices for careless operation (with no death or previous bodily harm), with a penalty of over five hundred dollars and penalty points each, connected to the bridge ride-out. They added that inquiries were continuing.

The influencer reportedly has over 3.4m subscribers on YouTube and over 1.2 million on the social media app.

Creator's Response

The content creator spoke with a local publication recently after the incident spread rapidly on digital platforms, saying he regretted giving "bike life" a bad reputation.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. It was one of the safest gatherings I’ve ever seen," he said. "I’m coming here as a guest, and I intend to come here respecting the rules and standards of Sydney. When I decided to do a meet and greet it was not meant to include a group ride, it was just to greet people near the bridge."

"I’m unfamiliar with the city, it was my fault we found ourselves on the bridge and I had two choices: either the group rides the full length of the bridge and comes back, which is a crime. Or we reverse, essentially, before entering the bridge. I chose at the time to go back."

Broader Context on Electric Bike Rules

The spate of e-bikes on roads nationwide has prompted increasing demands for stricter rules. The federal health minister, Mark Butler, commented that non-compliant electric bikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Young people have engaged in stupid things on bikes since the invention of the penny-farthing [but] the harm that are presenting at our ERs are absolutely devastating," the minister stated. "We must ensure we prevent these things entering the country [and] police are given the authority to crack down, to take them away, to crush them, to dispose of them."

NSW reported 226 injuries associated with electric bikes in the previous year. However, in the first seven months of the following year, that number jumped to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four fatalities.