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NSW police have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and handed out two driving violation citations for reported negligent driving following a large group of electric bicycle users gathered on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the busy commute on Tuesday.

The Incident: A Prohibited Ride

A group of around 40 people riding electric bikes and motorbikes proceeded along the primary roadway of the bridge, where cycling is prohibited. The riders subsequently reversed direction and rode through the city’s CBD and Haymarket.

"This had a risk of people to be injured and killed," remarked a senior police official David Driver on Wednesday.

Law enforcement said they did not chase right away the riders due to concerns for public safety but rather found the assembly at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the city gardens, at which point they broke up.

Penalties Issued for Influencer

On Saturday, authorities stated they had issued the US social media influencer who goes by the influencer, 26, with two traffic infringement notices for careless operation (not involving death or prior injury), carrying a fine of $562 and penalty points each, in relation to the bridge ride-out. Officials noted that inquiries were continuing.

The personality is said to have over 3.4m followers on one platform and over 1.2m on Instagram.

Influencer's Comments

The online figure spoke with a local publication this week after the incident gained traction on news sites and social media, stating he was sorry for giving "the biking community" a negative image.

"I accept the blame. That was one of the safest gatherings I have witnessed," he said. "I am a visitor here, so I’m going to abide by the laws and norms of the city. So when I decided to do a public meeting it did not involve a ride-out, 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 two choices: whether the group rides the full length of the bridge and turns around, an illegal act. Or we reverse, essentially, before entering the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to go back."

Broader Context on E-Bike Regulation

The spate of electric bicycles on roads nationwide has sparked increasing demands for stricter rules. A senior government official, Mark Butler, commented that non-compliant electric bikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Kids have done stupid things on bikes since the invention of the early bicycle [but] the harm that are coming into our hospital emergency departments are absolutely devastating," the minister stated. "We must make sure we stop these things coming into the country [and] officers are granted the powers to crack down, to take them away, to destroy them, to dispose of them."

NSW reported over two hundred injuries associated with ebikes in 2024. But, in the first seven months of the following year, that number surged to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four deaths.