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New South Wales 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 e-bike riders converged on the famous Sydney landmark during peak-hour traffic on Tuesday.

The Event: A Prohibited Ride

A group of around 40 people operating electric bikes and motorbikes proceeded along the bridge’s main deck, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The riders subsequently reversed direction and rode through the city’s CBD and a nearby district.

"There was potential for serious injury or fatalities," remarked a senior police official David Driver on Wednesday.

Police said they did not chase right away the group due to safety concerns but instead located the group at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the Botanic Gardens, at which point they broke up.

Fines Imposed for Influencer

On Saturday, police stated they had served the US social media influencer known as Sur Ronster, 26, with two traffic infringement notices for careless operation (with no death or previous bodily harm), with a penalty of $562 and three demerit points each, connected to the bridge incident. They added that inquiries were continuing.

The personality reportedly has over 3.4m subscribers on one platform and more than 1.2 million on Instagram.

Creator's Response

The online figure spoke with a major newspaper this week after the incident spread rapidly on digital platforms, saying he was sorry for giving "bike life" a negative image.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. It was one of the safest ride-outs I’ve ever seen," he told the publication. "I am a visitor here, and I intend to abide by the rules and standards of the city. So when I decided to do a public meeting it did not involve a group ride, 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 reverse, essentially, before we’re on the bridge. I chose at the time to turn around."

Broader Context on Electric Bike Rules

The spate of electric bicycles on streets across the country has sparked growing calls for stricter rules. 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 early bicycle [but] the injuries that are presenting at our ERs are truly severe," the minister stated. "We must make sure we prevent these things coming into the country [and] officers are granted the powers to take strong action, to take them away, to destroy them, to dispose of them."

The state recorded 226 injuries related to ebikes in the previous year. But, in the initial half of the following year, that figure surged to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four deaths.