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NSW authorities have issued a fine against an US-based online influencer and handed out two traffic infringement notices for reported reckless operation after a large group of e-bike riders gathered on the famous Sydney landmark during the busy commute on a weekday.

The Incident: A Prohibited Ride

A group of approximately 40 people riding e-bikes and motorcycles travelled along the bridge’s main deck, where cycling is prohibited. The assembly subsequently reversed direction and traveled through the downtown area and a nearby district.

"This had a risk of people to be injured and killed," stated a senior police official David Driver on the following day.

Law enforcement indicated they did not immediately pursue the group out of concerns for public safety but instead located the group at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the Botanic Gardens, at which point they broke up.

Penalties Issued for Influencer

Later in the week, authorities announced they had served the American online personality who goes by Sur Ronster, 26, with two traffic infringement notices for negligent driving (not involving death or prior injury), with a penalty of over five hundred dollars and three demerit points each, in relation to the bridge ride-out. They added that inquiries were continuing.

The personality reportedly has over 3.4 million followers on YouTube and more than 1.2m on the social media app.

Influencer's Comments

The content creator spoke with a local publication this week following the event spread rapidly on digital platforms, stating he regretted giving "bike life" a negative image.

"I accept the blame. That was one of the safest ride-outs I have witnessed," he said. "I am a visitor here, and I intend to abide by the rules and standards 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 did not know the area well, 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 turns around, which is a crime. Or we turn around, 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 e-bikes on roads nationwide has sparked growing calls for regulation. The federal health minister, Mark Butler, recently said that illegal ebikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Kids have done reckless acts on bikes ever since the early bicycle [but] the injuries that are presenting at our hospital emergency departments are truly severe," he said. "We must make sure we prevent these things coming into the country [and] police are given the authority to take strong action, to confiscate them, to destroy them, to destroy them."

The state reported over two hundred injuries associated with electric bikes in the previous year. But, in the initial half of the following year, that figure surged to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four fatalities.