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NSW authorities have issued a fine against an US-based online influencer and served two traffic infringement notices for reported negligent driving following a large group of electric bicycle users gathered on the famous Sydney landmark during peak-hour traffic on a weekday.

The Event: An Illegal Gathering

A gathering of approximately 40 people riding electric bikes and motorbikes travelled along the primary roadway of the bridge, where cycling is prohibited. The riders subsequently reversed direction and rode through the city’s CBD and a nearby district.

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

Law enforcement said they did not immediately pursue the riders out of concerns for public safety but rather found the group at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the Botanic Gardens, where they dispersed.

Fines Imposed for Influencer

On Saturday, police announced they had served the US social media influencer known as the influencer, 26, with two traffic infringement notices for negligent driving (with no death or previous bodily harm), carrying a penalty of over five hundred dollars and penalty points per notice, connected to the bridge ride-out. Officials noted that the investigation is ongoing.

The influencer reportedly has over 3.4 million followers on one platform and more than 1.2 million on Instagram.

Creator's Response

The content creator gave comments to a major newspaper this week following the event spread rapidly on news sites and social media, saying he regretted giving "bike life" a negative image.

"I accept the blame. That was among the safest gatherings I’ve ever seen," he said. "I am a visitor here, and I intend to come here respecting the laws and norms of Sydney. When I decided to do a public meeting it did not involve a ride-out, it was just to greet people near the bridge."

"I’m unfamiliar with the city, it was my fault we found ourselves on the bridge and I had a decision to make: whether the group rides the full length of the bridge and turns around, which is a crime. Or we reverse, basically, before we’re on the bridge. I chose at the time to turn around."

National Debate on E-Bike Regulation

The increase of electric bicycles on roads nationwide has sparked growing calls for stricter rules. A senior government official, the minister, recently said that illegal ebikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Young people have engaged in reckless acts on bikes since the invention of the early bicycle [but] the injuries that are presenting at our ERs are truly severe," the minister stated. "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 destroy them."

The state reported 226 injuries related to electric bikes in 2024. But, in the initial half of the following year, that number jumped to 233 injuries plus four deaths.