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NSW authorities have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and handed out two driving violation citations for reported negligent driving after a large group of e-bike riders converged on the famous Sydney landmark during the busy commute on a weekday.

The Event: A Prohibited Ride

A group of approximately 40 individuals riding electric bikes and motorbikes proceeded along the bridge’s main deck, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The assembly then turned around and traveled through the city’s CBD and a nearby district.

"There was a risk of people to be injured and killed," remarked NSW police assistant commissioner the officer on the following day.

Law enforcement said they did not chase right away the group out of concerns for public safety but instead located the group at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the Botanic Gardens, at which point they broke up.

Penalties Issued for Content Creator

On Saturday, police announced they had served the US social media influencer who goes by Sur Ronster, twenty-six, with two traffic infringement notices for careless operation (not involving death or prior injury), carrying a fine of over five hundred dollars and three demerit points per notice, connected to the bridge ride-out. Officials noted that the investigation is ongoing.

The personality reportedly has more than 3.4m subscribers on YouTube and more than 1.2 million on the social media app.

Influencer's Comments

The content creator spoke with a local publication recently following the event spread rapidly on digital platforms, stating he was sorry for giving "the biking community" a bad reputation.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. It was among the safest gatherings I’ve ever seen," he said. "I am a visitor here, so I’m going to abide by the rules and standards of the city. So when I decided to do a meet and greet it was not meant to include a ride-out, it was just to greet people near the bridge."

"I’m unfamiliar with the city, it was my fault we found ourselves on the bridge and I had two choices: either the group completes the entirety of the bridge and comes back, an illegal act. Or we turn around, basically, before entering the bridge. I chose at the time to turn around."

Broader Context on Electric Bike Rules

The increase of e-bikes on roads nationwide has prompted increasing demands for stricter rules. A senior government official, the minister, commented that non-compliant electric bikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Young people have engaged in stupid things on bikes since the invention of the early bicycle [but] the injuries that are presenting at our ERs are truly severe," he stated. "We must ensure we prevent these things entering the country [and] police are granted the powers to crack down, to take them away, to crush them, to destroy them."

NSW reported 226 injuries associated with ebikes in the previous year. However, in the initial half of the following year, that number surged to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four fatalities.