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NSW authorities have issued a fine against an American social media personality and handed out two traffic infringement notices for alleged reckless operation following a swarm of electric bicycle users gathered on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during peak-hour traffic on Tuesday.

The Event: A Prohibited Ride

A gathering of around 40 people operating e-bikes and motorcycles travelled along the bridge’s main deck, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The riders subsequently reversed direction and traveled through the downtown area and a nearby district.

"This had a risk of serious injury or fatalities," remarked NSW police assistant commissioner David Driver on the following day.

Police said they did not chase right away the group due to concerns for public safety but instead located the assembly at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the Botanic Gardens, at which point they broke up.

Penalties Issued for Influencer

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

The personality reportedly has more than 3.4 million subscribers on YouTube and over 1.2 million on Instagram.

Creator's Response

The content creator spoke with a major newspaper this week following the event spread rapidly on news sites and social media, stating he was sorry for giving "the biking community" a bad reputation.

"I accept the blame. That was among the safest ride-outs I’ve ever seen," he said. "I’m coming here as a guest, and I intend to come here respecting the rules and standards of Sydney. So when I decided to do a meet and greet it did not involve a ride-out, 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: either the group completes the entirety of the bridge and turns around, an illegal act. Or we turn around, essentially, before entering the bridge. I chose at the time to go back."

National Debate on E-Bike Regulation

The spate of electric bicycles on streets across the country has sparked growing calls for regulation. The federal health minister, the minister, recently said 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 harm that are presenting at our ERs are absolutely devastating," he said. "We’ve got to ensure we prevent these things coming into the country [and] officers are granted the powers to crack down, to confiscate them, to destroy them, to dispose of them."

NSW reported over two hundred 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 deaths.