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NSW police have levied a penalty against an American social media personality and served two driving violation citations for alleged negligent driving after a large group of e-bike riders gathered on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the busy commute on Tuesday.

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 rode through the city’s CBD and Haymarket.

"This had potential for people to be injured and killed," stated NSW police assistant commissioner the officer on the following day.

Law enforcement indicated they did not immediately pursue the group out of safety concerns but rather found the group at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the city gardens, where they dispersed.

Fines Imposed for Influencer

On Saturday, police announced they had issued the US social media influencer known as the influencer, 26, with two traffic infringement notices for careless operation (not involving death or prior injury), with a fine of $562 and three demerit points per notice, in relation to the bridge ride-out. Officials noted that the investigation is ongoing.

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

Creator's Response

The online figure gave comments to a major newspaper recently after the incident spread rapidly on news sites and social media, stating he was sorry for giving "bike life" a bad reputation.

"I accept the blame. That was among 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 the city. So when I decided to do a meet and greet it did not involve a group ride, it was just to say hi under the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, I am to blame we ended up 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 reverse, basically, before entering the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to go back."

National Debate on Electric Bike Rules

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

"Kids have done stupid things on bikes ever since the early bicycle [but] the injuries that are coming into our ERs are truly severe," the minister stated. "We’ve got to ensure we stop these things coming into the country [and] police are given the powers to crack down, to take them away, to crush them, to dispose of them."

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