🔗 Share this article American Social Media Personality Penalized Following Large-Scale E-Bike Gathering on Iconic Australian Bridge NSW authorities have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and served two traffic infringement notices for alleged reckless operation following a large group of electric bicycle users converged on the famous Sydney landmark during the busy commute on Tuesday. The Event: A Prohibited Ride A gathering of around 40 individuals riding electric bikes and motorbikes proceeded along the bridge’s main deck, where cycling is prohibited. The assembly then turned around and traveled through the city’s CBD and a nearby district. "This had a risk of serious injury or fatalities," remarked NSW police assistant commissioner David Driver on Wednesday. Law enforcement indicated they did not chase right away the riders due to concerns for public safety but instead located the group at a scenic Sydney lookout near the Botanic Gardens, at which point they broke up. Penalties Issued for Influencer Later in the week, authorities announced they had served the American online personality who goes by the influencer, twenty-six, with two traffic infringement notices for negligent driving (not involving death or prior injury), carrying a penalty of $562 and three demerit points each, connected to the bridge ride-out. They added that the investigation is ongoing. The personality is said to have over 3.4 million followers on one platform and over 1.2 million on Instagram. Creator's Response The content creator gave comments to a major newspaper this week following the event spread rapidly on news sites and social media, saying he was sorry for giving "the biking community" a negative image. "I accept the blame. That was among the safest ride-outs I have witnessed," he told the publication. "I’m coming here as a guest, and I intend to come here respecting the rules and standards of Sydney. So when I decided to do a meet and greet it was not meant to include a group ride, it was just to greet people under the bridge." "I’m unfamiliar with the city, it was my fault we found ourselves on the bridge and I had two choices: whether the group rides the full length of the bridge and comes back, which is a crime. Or we reverse, essentially, before entering 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 prompted increasing demands for regulation. The federal health minister, Mark Butler, recently said that non-compliant electric bikes were a "total menace on the road." "Young people have engaged in reckless acts on bikes since the invention of the penny-farthing [but] the injuries that are coming into our hospital emergency departments are absolutely devastating," he said. "We must ensure we stop these things coming into the country [and] officers are granted the powers to crack down, to confiscate them, to crush them, to destroy them." The state reported over two hundred injuries associated with electric bikes in the previous year. However, in the first seven months of 2025, that number surged to 233 injuries plus four deaths.