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New South Wales authorities have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and served two traffic infringement notices for reported negligent driving following a swarm of e-bike riders converged on the famous Sydney landmark during peak-hour traffic on a weekday.

The Event: An Illegal Gathering

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

"There was potential for people to be injured and killed," remarked a senior police official the officer on the following day.

Police said they did not immediately pursue the group 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 Influencer

Later in the week, authorities stated they had served the US social media influencer who goes by Sur Ronster, 26, with two traffic infringement notices for careless operation (with no death or previous bodily harm), carrying a fine of $562 and penalty points per notice, connected to the bridge ride-out. Officials noted that the investigation is ongoing.

The influencer is said to have over 3.4 million followers on YouTube and over 1.2m on the social media app.

Influencer's Comments

The content creator gave comments to a local publication recently following the event spread rapidly on digital platforms, saying he regretted giving "the biking community" a negative image.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. That was among the safest ride-outs I’ve ever seen," he told the publication. "I am a visitor here, so I’m going to abide by the laws and norms of the city. When I decided to do a meet and greet it was not meant to include a group ride, it was just to greet people under the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, it was my fault we ended up 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, basically, before we’re on the bridge. I chose at the time to go back."

Broader Context on E-Bike Regulation

The increase of electric bicycles on streets across the country has prompted increasing demands for regulation. The federal health minister, the minister, commented that non-compliant electric bikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Young people have engaged in reckless acts on bikes since the invention of the penny-farthing [but] the injuries that are coming into our hospital emergency departments are truly severe," the minister said. "We must make sure we prevent these things coming into the country [and] police are given the powers to crack down, to take them away, to destroy them, to destroy them."

The state reported 226 injuries associated with ebikes in the previous year. However, in the first seven months of the following year, that number surged to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four fatalities.