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New South Wales police have issued a fine against an American social media personality and served two driving violation citations for reported negligent driving after a large group of electric bicycle users converged on the famous Sydney landmark during peak-hour traffic on Tuesday.

The Event: A Prohibited Ride

A group of around 40 people riding e-bikes and motorcycles proceeded along the primary roadway of the bridge, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The assembly then turned around and traveled through the city’s CBD and Haymarket.

"This had potential for serious injury or fatalities," stated NSW police assistant commissioner the officer on Wednesday.

Law enforcement said they did not immediately pursue the group out of safety concerns but instead located the group at a scenic Sydney lookout near the Botanic Gardens, at which point they broke up.

Penalties Issued for Content Creator

Later in the week, police stated they had issued the US social media influencer who goes by the influencer, twenty-six, with two traffic infringement notices for careless operation (not involving death or prior injury), carrying a fine of $562 and three demerit points per notice, connected to the bridge ride-out. Officials noted that inquiries were continuing.

The influencer is said to have more than 3.4m subscribers on YouTube and over 1.2m on Instagram.

Influencer's Comments

The content creator spoke with a major newspaper this week following the event spread rapidly on digital platforms, saying he was sorry for giving "bike life" a negative image.

"I accept the blame. That 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 rules and standards of the city. When I decided to do a public meeting it was not meant to include a group ride, it was just to say hi near the bridge."

"I’m unfamiliar with the city, it was my fault we ended up on the bridge and I had a decision to make: whether the group completes the entirety of the bridge and comes back, which is a crime. Or we reverse, essentially, before entering the bridge. I chose at the time to go back."

Broader Context on Electric Bike Rules

The spate of e-bikes on roads nationwide has prompted growing calls for regulation. A senior government official, the minister, commented that non-compliant electric bikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Kids have done stupid things on bikes ever since the early bicycle [but] the injuries that are coming into our hospital emergency departments are absolutely devastating," he said. "We’ve got to make sure we prevent these things entering the country [and] police are granted the authority to crack down, to confiscate them, to destroy them, to dispose of them."

The state reported over two hundred injuries related to electric bikes in 2024. But, in the initial half of the following year, that number jumped to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four fatalities.