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New South Wales authorities have issued a fine against an US-based online influencer and served two driving violation citations for alleged reckless operation following a swarm of electric bicycle users converged on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during peak-hour traffic on a weekday.

The Incident: An Illegal Gathering

A gathering of approximately 40 individuals riding electric bikes and motorbikes travelled 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 people to be injured and killed," stated NSW police assistant commissioner David Driver on the following day.

Law enforcement indicated they did not immediately pursue the group due to safety concerns but rather found the assembly at a scenic Sydney lookout near the Botanic Gardens, at which point they broke up.

Penalties Issued for Influencer

Later in the week, authorities stated 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), carrying a penalty of over five hundred dollars and three demerit points per notice, connected to the bridge ride-out. They added that the investigation is ongoing.

The influencer reportedly has more than 3.4 million subscribers on YouTube and more than 1.2m on Instagram.

Influencer's Comments

The content creator spoke with a major newspaper this week following the event spread rapidly on digital platforms, stating he regretted giving "the biking community" a bad reputation.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. That was one of the safest gatherings I have witnessed," he said. "I am a visitor here, so I’m going to come here respecting the rules and standards 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 did not know the area well, I am to blame we ended up on the bridge and I had two choices: whether the group completes the entirety of the bridge and comes back, which is a crime. Or we reverse, essentially, before we’re on the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to go back."

Broader Context on E-Bike Regulation

The spate of e-bikes on streets across the country has sparked increasing demands for stricter rules. A senior government official, Mark Butler, recently said that illegal ebikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Kids have done stupid things on bikes ever since the early bicycle [but] the injuries that are presenting at our hospital emergency departments are absolutely devastating," the minister stated. "We’ve got to ensure we prevent these things entering the country [and] police are given the authority to crack down, to confiscate them, to destroy them, to destroy them."

The state reported over two hundred injuries related to ebikes in the previous year. However, in the first seven months of the following year, that number jumped to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four fatalities.