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NSW authorities have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and served two traffic infringement notices for reported reckless operation following a swarm of e-bike riders gathered on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during peak-hour traffic on Tuesday.

The Event: A Prohibited Ride

A gathering of approximately 40 individuals operating e-bikes and motorcycles travelled along the primary roadway of the bridge, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The assembly subsequently reversed direction and traveled through the downtown area and a nearby district.

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

Police said they did not chase right away the riders due to concerns for public safety but instead located the assembly at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the city gardens, where they dispersed.

Penalties Issued for Content Creator

On Saturday, authorities announced they had issued the American online personality known as the influencer, twenty-six, with two traffic infringement notices for careless operation (with no death or previous bodily harm), carrying a fine of over five hundred dollars and penalty points per notice, in relation to the bridge ride-out. Officials noted that the investigation is ongoing.

The personality reportedly has more than 3.4m subscribers on one platform and over 1.2 million on the social media app.

Influencer's Comments

The content creator gave comments to a local publication recently after the incident spread rapidly on news sites and social media, saying he regretted giving "bike life" a bad reputation.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. That was one of the safest gatherings I have witnessed," he said. "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 meet and greet it did not involve a group ride, it was just to say hi near the bridge."

"I’m unfamiliar with the city, it was my fault we ended up on the bridge and I had two choices: 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. I chose at the time to go back."

Broader Context on E-Bike Regulation

The spate of electric bicycles on streets across the country has prompted growing calls for stricter rules. A senior government official, the minister, 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 penny-farthing [but] the injuries that are coming into our ERs are truly severe," he said. "We must ensure we stop these things entering the country [and] officers are given the authority to crack down, to take them away, to crush them, to destroy them."

NSW recorded 226 injuries associated with ebikes in the previous year. But, in the initial half of the following year, that number jumped to 233 injuries plus four fatalities.