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New South Wales authorities have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and handed out two traffic infringement notices for reported negligent driving following a large group of electric bicycle users converged on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during peak-hour traffic on a weekday.

The Event: An Illegal Gathering

A group of approximately 40 individuals operating electric bikes and motorbikes travelled along the bridge’s main deck, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The riders subsequently reversed direction and rode through the downtown area and a nearby district.

"This had potential for people to be injured and killed," remarked a senior police official the officer on Wednesday.

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 Influencer

Later in the week, authorities announced they had served the US social media influencer known as Sur Ronster, 26, with two traffic infringement notices for careless operation (not involving death or prior injury), with a fine of over five hundred dollars and penalty points each, in relation to the bridge incident. Officials noted that inquiries were continuing.

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

Influencer's Comments

The content creator gave comments to a local publication this week after the incident gained traction on news sites and social media, stating 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 rules and standards of Sydney. When I decided to do a meet and greet it was not meant to include a ride-out, it was just to greet people near 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: whether the group rides the full length of the bridge and turns around, an illegal act. Or we reverse, basically, before we’re on the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to turn around."

National Debate on E-Bike Regulation

The spate of e-bikes on streets across the country has sparked increasing demands for stricter rules. The federal health minister, the minister, commented that non-compliant electric bikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Kids have done reckless acts on bikes since the invention of the penny-farthing [but] the injuries that are presenting at our hospital emergency departments are absolutely devastating," the minister stated. "We must ensure we prevent these things entering the country [and] police are granted the powers to crack down, to take them away, to crush them, to dispose of them."

NSW recorded 226 injuries related to electric bikes in the previous year. However, in the initial half of the following year, that number jumped to 233 injuries plus four deaths.