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NSW police have levied a penalty against an American social media personality and handed out two traffic infringement notices for reported reckless operation following a swarm of e-bike riders converged on the famous Sydney landmark during peak-hour traffic on a weekday.

The Incident: An Illegal Gathering

A gathering of around 40 people riding electric bikes and motorbikes proceeded along the bridge’s main deck, where cycling is prohibited. The assembly then turned around and rode through the downtown area and Haymarket.

"There was a risk of serious injury or fatalities," stated NSW police assistant commissioner the officer on Wednesday.

Police said they did not immediately pursue the group out of safety concerns but rather found the assembly at a scenic Sydney lookout near the city gardens, at which point they broke up.

Penalties Issued for Content Creator

On Saturday, police stated they had issued the US social media influencer known as the influencer, 26, with two violation tickets for negligent driving (not involving death or prior injury), carrying a fine of over five hundred dollars and three demerit points per notice, connected to the bridge incident. They added that the investigation is ongoing.

The influencer is said to have more than 3.4 million followers on YouTube and more than 1.2 million on Instagram.

Influencer's Comments

The online figure spoke with a major newspaper this week after the incident gained traction on digital platforms, stating he regretted giving "bike life" a negative image.

"I accept the blame. It was one of the safest gatherings I’ve ever seen," he said. "I am a visitor here, so I’m going to abide by the laws and norms of Sydney. When I decided to do a public meeting it was not meant to include a group ride, it was just to say hi near the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, it was my fault we ended up on the bridge and I had a decision to make: whether the group rides the full length of the bridge and turns around, an illegal act. Or we reverse, essentially, before entering the bridge. I chose at the time to go back."

National Debate on E-Bike Regulation

The increase of e-bikes on streets across the country has sparked growing calls for stricter rules. The federal health minister, Mark Butler, recently said that illegal ebikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Young people have engaged in stupid things on bikes ever since the penny-farthing [but] the harm that are coming into our ERs are absolutely devastating," he stated. "We’ve got to make sure we prevent these things coming into the country [and] police are given the powers to crack down, to confiscate them, to crush them, to destroy them."

The state recorded 226 injuries associated with electric bikes in the previous year. But, in the first seven months of the following year, that figure surged to 233 injuries plus four fatalities.