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NSW authorities have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and handed out two driving violation citations for alleged negligent driving after a large group of e-bike riders gathered on the famous Sydney landmark during peak-hour traffic on Tuesday.

The Event: A Prohibited Ride

A group of around 40 individuals operating e-bikes and motorcycles proceeded along the bridge’s main deck, where cycling is prohibited. The riders then turned around and rode through the downtown area and Haymarket.

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

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

Penalties Issued for Influencer

On Saturday, authorities announced they had issued the US social media influencer known as Sur Ronster, twenty-six, with two violation tickets for careless operation (with no death or previous bodily harm), carrying a fine of over five hundred dollars and penalty points each, in relation to the bridge incident. Officials noted that inquiries were continuing.

The influencer is said to have more than 3.4 million subscribers on one platform and more than 1.2m on Instagram.

Creator's Response

The content creator gave comments to a major newspaper this week after the incident gained traction on news sites and social media, stating he was sorry for giving "the biking community" a bad reputation.

"I accept the blame. 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 abide by the rules and standards of Sydney. So when I decided to do a public meeting it did not involve a group ride, it was just to say hi under the bridge."

"I’m unfamiliar with the city, I am to blame we found ourselves on the bridge and I had a decision to make: either the group rides the full length of the bridge and comes back, which is a crime. Or we turn around, essentially, before we’re on the bridge. I chose at the time to turn around."

National Debate on E-Bike Regulation

The increase of e-bikes on streets across the country has sparked growing calls for stricter rules. A senior government official, the minister, recently said that non-compliant electric bikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Young people have engaged in stupid things on bikes ever since the penny-farthing [but] the injuries that are presenting at our hospital emergency departments are absolutely devastating," he stated. "We’ve got to ensure we prevent these things coming into the country [and] police are granted the powers to take strong action, to take them away, to destroy them, to dispose of them."

The state recorded 226 injuries related to ebikes in the previous year. But, in the first seven months of the following year, that figure surged to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four fatalities.