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NSW authorities have issued a fine against an American social media personality and served two driving violation citations for alleged negligent driving after a swarm of electric bicycle users converged on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the busy commute on a weekday.

The Incident: An Illegal Gathering

A group of around 40 people operating electric bikes and motorbikes proceeded along the primary roadway of the bridge, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The assembly subsequently reversed direction and traveled through the downtown area and a nearby district.

"This had potential for serious injury or fatalities," stated NSW police assistant commissioner David Driver on the following day.

Police indicated they did not immediately pursue the group out of concerns for public safety but instead located the group at a scenic Sydney lookout near the Botanic Gardens, where they dispersed.

Fines Imposed for Content Creator

Later in the week, authorities stated they had served the American online personality who goes by the influencer, 26, with two traffic infringement notices for negligent driving (not involving death or prior injury), carrying a penalty of over five hundred dollars and three demerit points each, connected to the bridge ride-out. Officials noted that the investigation is ongoing.

The personality reportedly has more than 3.4 million subscribers on YouTube and more than 1.2m on the social media app.

Creator's Response

The content creator spoke with a major newspaper recently after the incident gained traction on news sites and social media, stating he was sorry for giving "the biking community" a negative image.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. It was among the safest gatherings I’ve ever seen," he told the publication. "I’m coming here as a guest, so I’m going to abide by the rules and standards of the city. When I decided to do a public meeting it was not meant to include a ride-out, it was just to say hi 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 turns around, an illegal act. Or we reverse, basically, before we’re on the bridge. I chose at the time to turn around."

National Debate on Electric Bike Rules

The spate of e-bikes on streets across the country has sparked growing calls for regulation. A senior government official, Mark Butler, recently said that illegal ebikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Young people have engaged in reckless acts on bikes since the invention of the early bicycle [but] the injuries that are coming into our ERs are absolutely devastating," the minister stated. "We’ve got to ensure we stop these things entering the country [and] officers are given the powers to crack down, to confiscate them, to crush them, to dispose of them."

NSW reported 226 injuries related to ebikes in 2024. However, in the first seven months of the following year, that figure surged to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four deaths.