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New South Wales authorities have issued a fine against an American social media personality and handed out two traffic infringement notices for alleged negligent driving following a swarm of electric bicycle users gathered on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during peak-hour traffic on a weekday.

The Event: A Prohibited Ride

A gathering of around 40 individuals riding electric bikes and motorbikes travelled along the primary roadway of the bridge, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The assembly subsequently reversed direction and rode through the city’s CBD and a nearby district.

"There was potential for serious injury or fatalities," remarked NSW police assistant commissioner David Driver on Wednesday.

Police indicated they did not immediately pursue the group due to concerns for public safety 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, police stated they had served the American online personality who goes by Sur Ronster, 26, with two violation tickets for negligent driving (not involving death or prior injury), with a penalty of $562 and three demerit points each, in relation to the bridge incident. Officials noted that inquiries were continuing.

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

Creator's Response

The online figure spoke with a major newspaper recently following the event gained traction on news sites and social media, stating he was sorry for giving "the biking community" a negative image.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. It was one of the safest gatherings I have witnessed," he told the publication. "I’m coming here as a guest, and I intend to abide by the laws and norms of the city. When I decided to do a public meeting it did not involve a group ride, it was just to greet people 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 comes back, 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 Electric Bike Rules

The spate of electric bicycles on streets across the country has sparked growing calls for stricter rules. The federal health minister, the minister, commented that illegal ebikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Kids have done stupid things on bikes ever since the early bicycle [but] the injuries that are coming into our hospital emergency departments are absolutely devastating," he stated. "We’ve got to make sure we stop these things entering the country [and] officers are given the powers to take strong action, to take them away, to crush them, to dispose of them."

The state reported over two hundred injuries associated with electric bikes in the previous year. However, in the first seven months of the following year, that figure jumped to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four fatalities.