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New South Wales authorities have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and handed out two driving violation citations for alleged reckless operation following a swarm of electric bicycle users gathered on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during peak-hour traffic on Tuesday.

The Incident: An Illegal Gathering

A gathering of around 40 individuals operating electric bikes and motorbikes proceeded along the bridge’s main deck, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The riders then turned around and rode through the city’s CBD and a nearby district.

"There was potential for serious injury or fatalities," stated a senior police official the officer on the following day.

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

Penalties Issued for Content Creator

Later in the week, police stated they had served the US social media influencer known as Sur Ronster, 26, with two violation tickets for careless operation (not involving death or prior injury), carrying a penalty of $562 and penalty points each, in relation to the bridge ride-out. They added that inquiries were continuing.

The influencer reportedly has more than 3.4m followers on one platform and over 1.2m on Instagram.

Influencer's Comments

The content creator spoke with a local publication recently after the incident gained traction on digital platforms, saying he regretted giving "bike life" a negative image.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. It was one of the safest gatherings I have witnessed," he said. "I’m coming here as a guest, so I’m going to abide by the laws and norms of Sydney. So when I decided to do a public meeting it was not meant to include a ride-out, it was just to greet people near the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, it was my fault we found ourselves on the bridge and I had a decision to make: either the group rides the full length of the bridge and turns around, an illegal act. Or we turn around, basically, before entering the bridge. I chose at the time to go back."

National Debate on E-Bike Regulation

The spate of electric bicycles on roads nationwide has sparked growing calls for regulation. A senior government official, the minister, recently said that illegal ebikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Young people have engaged in reckless acts on bikes since the invention of the penny-farthing [but] the harm that are coming into our ERs are absolutely devastating," he said. "We must ensure we stop these things entering the country [and] officers are given the authority to take strong action, to confiscate them, to crush them, to destroy them."

NSW recorded 226 injuries related to ebikes in the previous year. But, in the initial half of the following year, that figure surged to 233 injuries plus four deaths.