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NSW authorities have levied a penalty against an American social media personality and handed out two traffic infringement notices for reported negligent driving following a swarm of electric bicycle users converged on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the busy commute on a weekday.

The Event: A Prohibited Ride

A gathering of around 40 people riding electric bikes and motorbikes travelled along the bridge’s main deck, where cycling is prohibited. The assembly then turned around and traveled through the city’s CBD and a nearby district.

"This had potential for serious injury or fatalities," remarked a senior police official the officer on Wednesday.

Police indicated they did not chase right away the group due to concerns for public safety but rather found the group at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the city gardens, where they dispersed.

Fines Imposed for Influencer

On Saturday, police stated they had issued the US social media influencer who goes by Sur Ronster, 26, with two violation tickets for negligent driving (not involving death or prior injury), carrying a penalty of over five hundred dollars and three demerit points each, in relation to the bridge incident. Officials noted that the investigation is ongoing.

The influencer reportedly has over 3.4 million followers on YouTube and over 1.2 million on Instagram.

Creator's Response

The online figure gave comments to a local publication this week following the event gained traction on digital platforms, saying he was sorry for giving "bike life" a negative image.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. It was one of the safest ride-outs I have witnessed," he said. "I’m coming here as a guest, so I’m going to come here respecting the rules and standards of the city. When I decided to do a meet and greet it did not involve a group ride, it was just to say hi under the bridge."

"I’m unfamiliar with the city, it was my fault we ended up on the bridge and I had two choices: either the group completes the entirety of the bridge and comes back, an illegal act. Or we reverse, essentially, before we’re on the bridge. I chose at the time to go back."

National Debate on Electric Bike Rules

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

"Kids have done reckless acts on bikes ever since the penny-farthing [but] the harm that are coming into our ERs are absolutely devastating," he said. "We’ve got to make sure we stop these things coming into the country [and] police are given the authority to crack down, to confiscate them, to destroy them, to destroy them."

The state reported over two hundred injuries associated with ebikes in the previous year. However, in the initial half of the following year, that figure surged to 233 injuries plus four fatalities.