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NSW police have levied a penalty against an American social media personality and handed out two driving violation citations for alleged reckless operation after a large group of e-bike riders converged on the famous Sydney landmark during the busy commute on Tuesday.

The Event: A Prohibited Ride

A group of around 40 individuals operating electric bikes and motorbikes proceeded along the primary roadway of the bridge, where cycling is prohibited. The assembly subsequently reversed direction and rode through the downtown area and a nearby district.

"This had potential for people to be injured and killed," stated a senior police official the officer on the following day.

Police said they did not immediately pursue the riders due to concerns for public safety but rather found the assembly at a scenic Sydney lookout near the Botanic Gardens, where they dispersed.

Penalties Issued for Influencer

Later in the week, police announced they had issued the American online personality known as the influencer, 26, with two violation tickets for negligent driving (not involving death or prior injury), with a fine of $562 and penalty points each, 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 1.2 million on Instagram.

Influencer's Comments

The online figure gave comments to a local publication recently following the event spread rapidly on news sites and social media, saying he regretted giving "bike life" a bad reputation.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. It was among the safest gatherings I have witnessed," he said. "I am a visitor here, and I intend to abide by the laws and norms of Sydney. So when I decided to do a public meeting it was not meant to include a ride-out, it was just to greet people under the bridge."

"I’m unfamiliar with the city, I am to blame we found ourselves on the bridge and I had a decision to make: whether the group rides the full length of the bridge and comes back, an illegal act. Or we turn around, essentially, before entering the bridge. I chose at the time to turn around."

Broader Context on Electric Bike Rules

The increase of electric bicycles on streets across the country has prompted growing calls for stricter rules. The federal health minister, the minister, recently said that illegal ebikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Young people have engaged in stupid things on bikes since the invention of the penny-farthing [but] the harm that are presenting at our ERs are truly severe," the minister stated. "We must ensure we stop these things coming into the country [and] officers are given the authority to take strong action, to take them away, to destroy them, to dispose of them."

The state recorded 226 injuries related to electric bikes in the previous year. But, in the first seven months of the following year, that figure jumped to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four deaths.