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NSW authorities have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and served two driving violation citations for reported reckless operation after a swarm of electric bicycle users gathered on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the busy commute on Tuesday.

The Incident: An Illegal Gathering

A group of approximately 40 people operating electric bikes and motorbikes proceeded 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 potential for serious injury or fatalities," stated NSW police assistant commissioner the officer on the following day.

Law enforcement indicated they did not immediately pursue the riders due to safety concerns but rather found the group at a scenic Sydney lookout near the Botanic Gardens, at which point they broke up.

Fines Imposed for Influencer

Later in the week, police stated they had served the US social media influencer who goes by Sur Ronster, 26, with two violation tickets for careless operation (not involving death or prior injury), carrying a penalty of $562 and three demerit points per notice, in relation to the bridge incident. They added that inquiries were continuing.

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

Creator's Response

The online figure gave comments to a local publication 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. That was among the safest gatherings I’ve ever seen," he said. "I’m coming here as a guest, and I intend to abide by the rules and standards of the city. When I decided to do a public meeting 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 a decision to make: either the group rides the full length of the bridge and turns around, an illegal act. Or we turn around, basically, before entering the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to turn around."

Broader Context on Electric Bike Rules

The increase of e-bikes on roads nationwide has prompted growing calls for regulation. The federal health minister, Mark Butler, recently said that non-compliant electric bikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Kids have done reckless acts on bikes ever since the penny-farthing [but] the harm that are coming into our ERs are absolutely devastating," the minister said. "We must make sure we stop these things entering the country [and] police are given the authority to take strong action, to take them away, to destroy them, to destroy them."

The state reported 226 injuries associated with ebikes in the previous year. But, in the initial half of the following year, that number jumped to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four fatalities.