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NSW police have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and served two driving violation citations for alleged negligent driving after a swarm of e-bike riders converged on the famous Sydney landmark during peak-hour traffic on a weekday.

The Event: A Prohibited Ride

A gathering of around 40 people operating e-bikes and motorcycles travelled along the bridge’s main deck, where cycling is prohibited. The assembly then turned around and traveled through the city’s CBD and Haymarket.

"This had a risk of serious injury or fatalities," remarked a senior police official the officer on Wednesday.

Police said 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.

Fines Imposed for Influencer

Later in the week, authorities announced they had served the US social media influencer who goes by Sur Ronster, twenty-six, with two violation tickets for careless operation (with no death or previous bodily harm), with a penalty of $562 and penalty points per notice, connected to the bridge ride-out. They added that the investigation is ongoing.

The personality reportedly has 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 gave comments to a major newspaper this week following the event gained traction on digital platforms, saying he was sorry for giving "the biking community" a negative image.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. It was among the safest ride-outs I have witnessed," he said. "I’m coming here as a guest, and I intend to come here respecting the rules and standards of Sydney. So when I decided to do a meet and greet it did not involve a group ride, 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 a decision to make: whether the group rides the full length of the bridge and turns around, an illegal act. Or we turn around, essentially, before we’re on the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to go back."

National Debate on Electric Bike Rules

The spate of electric bicycles on roads nationwide has sparked growing calls for regulation. A senior government official, Mark Butler, commented that non-compliant electric bikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Kids have done stupid things on bikes ever since the early bicycle [but] the harm that are coming into our ERs are truly severe," the minister stated. "We’ve got to make sure we stop these things coming into the country [and] officers are given the powers to take strong action, to confiscate them, to crush them, to dispose of them."

The state recorded 226 injuries associated with electric bikes in the previous year. But, in the initial half of the following year, that number jumped to 233 injuries plus four deaths.