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New South Wales authorities have levied a penalty against an American social media personality and handed out two traffic infringement notices for reported negligent driving after a swarm of electric bicycle users gathered 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 travelled along the bridge’s main deck, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The assembly subsequently reversed direction and rode through the city’s CBD and a nearby district.

"This had potential for serious injury or fatalities," remarked NSW police assistant commissioner the officer on the following day.

Law enforcement said they did not chase right away the riders out of concerns for public safety but rather found the assembly at a scenic Sydney lookout near the Botanic Gardens, where they dispersed.

Fines Imposed for Content Creator

Later in the week, 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), carrying a penalty of $562 and three demerit points per notice, in relation to the bridge incident. Officials noted that inquiries were continuing.

The personality reportedly has more than 3.4 million subscribers on one platform and over 1.2m on Instagram.

Creator's Response

The content creator spoke with a local publication recently following the event gained traction on digital platforms, stating he was sorry for giving "the biking community" a bad reputation.

"I accept the blame. It was among the safest ride-outs I have witnessed," he told the publication. "I’m coming here as a guest, so I’m going to abide by the laws and norms of Sydney. When I decided to do a public meeting it was not meant to include a ride-out, it was just to say hi near the bridge."

"I’m unfamiliar with the city, 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 comes back, which is a crime. Or we reverse, basically, before entering the bridge. I chose at the time to go back."

National Debate on Electric Bike Rules

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

"Young people have engaged in reckless acts on bikes ever since the penny-farthing [but] the injuries that are coming into our ERs are truly severe," the minister said. "We’ve got to make sure we prevent these things coming into the country [and] police are given the authority to crack down, to confiscate them, to destroy them, to destroy them."

NSW recorded 226 injuries related to ebikes in the previous year. However, in the initial half of the following year, that figure surged to 233 injuries plus four deaths.