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New South Wales authorities have issued a fine against an American social media personality and handed out two driving violation citations for reported negligent driving after a swarm of electric bicycle users gathered on the famous Sydney landmark during peak-hour traffic on a weekday.

The Event: A Prohibited Ride

A gathering of around 40 people riding electric bikes and motorbikes proceeded along the primary roadway of the bridge, where cycling is prohibited. The assembly then turned around and rode through the city’s CBD and Haymarket.

"There was potential for serious injury or fatalities," remarked a senior police official the officer on the following day.

Law enforcement indicated they did not chase right away the group out of safety concerns but instead located the group at a scenic Sydney lookout near the Botanic Gardens, at which point they broke up.

Fines Imposed for Content Creator

Later in the week, police announced they had issued the US social media influencer who goes by the influencer, 26, with two traffic infringement notices for negligent driving (not involving death or prior injury), carrying a penalty of $562 and penalty points per notice, connected to the bridge incident. Officials noted that inquiries were continuing.

The influencer reportedly has more than 3.4 million subscribers on YouTube and over 1.2 million on the social media app.

Influencer's Comments

The content creator spoke with a local publication this week following the event gained traction on digital platforms, stating he was sorry for giving "bike life" a bad reputation.

"I accept the blame. It was among the safest ride-outs I’ve ever seen," he told the publication. "I am a visitor here, so I’m going to abide by the rules and standards of Sydney. So when I decided to do a public meeting it did not involve a ride-out, it was just to greet people under the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, it was my fault we ended up on the bridge and I had two choices: whether the group completes the entirety of the bridge and turns around, which is a crime. Or we turn around, essentially, before we’re on the bridge. I chose at the time to turn around."

National Debate on E-Bike Regulation

The spate of electric bicycles on roads nationwide has sparked increasing demands for stricter rules. The federal health minister, Mark Butler, commented that non-compliant electric bikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Kids have done stupid things on bikes since the invention of the early bicycle [but] the injuries that are coming into our ERs are truly severe," he stated. "We’ve got to ensure we stop these things entering the country [and] officers are granted the authority to crack down, to take them away, to crush them, to destroy them."

The state recorded over two hundred injuries related to ebikes in 2024. But, in the first seven months of the following year, that figure surged to 233 injuries plus four fatalities.