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New South Wales police have levied a penalty against an American social media personality and handed out two traffic infringement notices for reported negligent driving after a large group of electric bicycle users gathered on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the busy commute on Tuesday.

The Event: A Prohibited Ride

A gathering of approximately 40 people riding electric bikes and motorbikes proceeded along the primary roadway of the bridge, where cycling is prohibited. The riders then turned around and rode through the city’s CBD and a nearby district.

"This had potential for people to be injured and killed," remarked NSW police assistant commissioner the officer on the following day.

Law enforcement indicated they did not chase right away the group due to safety concerns but rather found the assembly at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the city gardens, where they dispersed.

Fines Imposed for Content Creator

On Saturday, authorities announced they had issued the US social media influencer known as Sur Ronster, 26, with two violation tickets for negligent driving (not involving death or prior injury), with a penalty of $562 and penalty points each, connected to the bridge incident. They added that inquiries were continuing.

The influencer reportedly has over 3.4 million followers on one platform and more than 1.2 million on the social media app.

Creator's Response

The online figure gave comments to a local publication this week following the event gained traction on news sites and social media, stating he was sorry for giving "the biking community" a bad reputation.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. It was among the safest gatherings I have witnessed," he told the publication. "I am a visitor here, so I’m going to abide by the rules and standards of Sydney. So 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, I am to blame we found ourselves on the bridge and I had two choices: whether the group completes the entirety of the bridge and comes back, an illegal act. Or we reverse, essentially, before entering the bridge. I chose at the time to go back."

Broader Context on Electric Bike Rules

The spate of electric bicycles on roads nationwide has prompted increasing demands for regulation. The federal health minister, Mark Butler, commented that non-compliant electric bikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Young people have engaged in stupid things on bikes ever since the penny-farthing [but] the injuries that are presenting at our ERs are absolutely devastating," the minister said. "We must ensure we prevent these things entering the country [and] officers are granted the authority to crack down, to take them away, to destroy them, to dispose of them."

NSW recorded over two hundred injuries related to electric bikes 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.