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NSW authorities have issued a fine against an American social media personality and served two traffic infringement notices for alleged reckless operation after a swarm of e-bike riders converged on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during peak-hour traffic on a weekday.

The Event: A Prohibited Ride

A gathering of approximately 40 individuals operating e-bikes and motorcycles travelled along the bridge’s main deck, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The riders then turned around and traveled through the downtown area and a nearby district.

"There was potential for people to be injured and killed," remarked NSW police assistant commissioner the officer on Wednesday.

Law enforcement said they did not chase right away 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 Content Creator

Later in the week, police stated they had issued the American online personality who goes by Sur Ronster, 26, with two violation tickets for careless operation (with no death or previous bodily harm), with a fine of $562 and penalty points per notice, in relation to the bridge incident. Officials noted that inquiries were continuing.

The personality is said to have more than 3.4m followers on YouTube and over 1.2m on Instagram.

Influencer's Comments

The content creator gave comments to a local publication this week after the incident gained traction on digital platforms, saying he regretted giving "the biking community" a bad reputation.

"I accept the blame. It was one of the safest ride-outs I have witnessed," he said. "I am a visitor here, so I’m going to abide by the rules and standards of Sydney. When I decided to do a meet and greet it did not involve a group ride, it was just to say hi under the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, I am to blame 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 reverse, essentially, before we’re on the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to turn around."

National Debate on E-Bike Regulation

The spate of electric bicycles on streets across the country has sparked increasing demands for stricter rules. A senior government official, Mark Butler, commented that illegal ebikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Kids have done reckless acts on bikes ever since the penny-farthing [but] the injuries that are coming into our hospital emergency departments are absolutely devastating," the minister said. "We must ensure we stop these things coming into the country [and] police are given the authority to crack down, to confiscate them, to destroy them, to dispose of them."

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