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NSW police have issued a fine against an US-based online influencer and handed out two traffic infringement notices for reported negligent driving after a large group of electric bicycle users converged on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during peak-hour traffic on Tuesday.

The Event: A Prohibited Ride

A gathering of approximately 40 people operating electric bikes and motorbikes travelled along the primary roadway of the bridge, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The assembly then turned around and traveled through the downtown area and Haymarket.

"This had a risk of serious injury or fatalities," stated NSW police assistant commissioner David Driver on the following day.

Police indicated they did not immediately pursue the riders out of concerns for public safety but rather found the group at a scenic Sydney lookout near the Botanic Gardens, where they dispersed.

Fines Imposed for Influencer

Later in the week, police announced they had issued the US social media influencer who goes by the influencer, 26, with two violation tickets for negligent driving (not involving death or prior injury), carrying a penalty of over five hundred dollars and penalty points each, in relation to the bridge ride-out. Officials noted that inquiries were continuing.

The personality is said to have over 3.4 million subscribers on YouTube and over 1.2m on Instagram.

Creator's Response

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

"I accept the blame. That was one of the safest gatherings I have witnessed," he told the publication. "I’m coming here as a guest, so I’m going to come here respecting the laws and norms of the city. So when I decided to do a meet and greet it did not involve a group ride, it was just to greet people under the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, I am to blame we found ourselves on the bridge and I had a decision to make: whether the group rides the full length of the bridge and comes back, an illegal act. Or we reverse, essentially, before entering the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to go back."

Broader Context on E-Bike Regulation

The increase of e-bikes on streets across the country has prompted increasing demands for stricter rules. The federal health minister, Mark Butler, commented that illegal ebikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Young people have engaged in stupid things on bikes since the invention of the penny-farthing [but] the harm that are coming into our ERs are truly severe," the minister said. "We must ensure we stop these things entering the country [and] officers are granted the powers to take strong action, to take them away, to crush them, to destroy them."

NSW recorded 226 injuries related to electric bikes in 2024. However, in the initial half of the following year, that figure jumped to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four deaths.