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NSW police have issued a fine against an US-based online influencer and handed out two traffic infringement notices for alleged reckless operation after a large group of electric bicycle users gathered on the famous Sydney landmark during the busy commute on Tuesday.

The Event: An Illegal Gathering

A gathering of approximately 40 people operating electric bikes and motorbikes proceeded along the bridge’s main deck, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The riders then turned around and rode through the downtown area and a nearby district.

"There was a risk of serious injury or fatalities," remarked a senior police official David Driver on the following day.

Law enforcement indicated they did not immediately pursue the group out of safety concerns but instead located the group at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the city gardens, at which point they broke up.

Penalties Issued for Content Creator

Later in the week, authorities stated they had issued the US social media influencer who goes by Sur Ronster, 26, with two traffic infringement notices for negligent driving (with no death or previous bodily harm), carrying a penalty of $562 and penalty points per notice, connected to the bridge incident. They added that the investigation is ongoing.

The personality is said to have more than 3.4 million subscribers on one platform and more than 1.2m on the social media app.

Influencer's Comments

The online figure spoke with a local publication this week after the incident spread rapidly on digital platforms, stating he was sorry for giving "the biking community" a negative image.

"I accept the blame. It was one of the safest ride-outs I have witnessed," he said. "I am a visitor here, and I intend to come here respecting the laws and norms of the city. When I decided to do a meet and greet it was not meant to include a group ride, it was just to greet people under the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, it was my fault we found ourselves on the bridge and I had two choices: either the group rides the full length of the bridge and comes back, which is a crime. Or we reverse, essentially, before entering the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to turn around."

Broader Context on Electric Bike Rules

The spate of e-bikes on roads nationwide has sparked increasing demands for regulation. The federal health minister, the minister, recently said 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 said. "We must make sure we prevent these things entering the country [and] police are granted the authority to take strong action, to take them away, to crush them, to destroy them."

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