🔗 Share this article US Social Media Personality Penalized After Mass Electric Bike Ride on Iconic Australian Bridge New South Wales authorities have levied a penalty against an American social media personality and served two traffic infringement notices for reported reckless operation after a large group of electric bicycle users converged on the famous Sydney landmark during the busy commute on Tuesday. The Event: An Illegal Gathering A group of approximately 40 individuals operating e-bikes and motorcycles proceeded along the primary roadway of the bridge, where cycling is prohibited. The assembly subsequently reversed direction and rode through the city’s CBD and Haymarket. "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 riders due to safety concerns but rather found the group at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the Botanic Gardens, where they dispersed. Fines Imposed for Content Creator On Saturday, police stated they had issued the American online personality who goes by the influencer, 26, with two traffic infringement notices for negligent driving (with no death or previous bodily harm), carrying a penalty of over five hundred dollars and three demerit points per notice, connected to the bridge ride-out. Officials noted that the investigation is ongoing. The influencer reportedly has over 3.4m followers on one platform and more than 1.2m on Instagram. Influencer's Comments The content creator gave comments to a local publication recently following the event gained traction on news sites and social media, saying he was sorry for giving "bike life" a negative image. "I accept the blame. That was among the safest gatherings I’ve ever seen," he told the publication. "I am a visitor here, so I’m going to come here respecting the laws and norms of Sydney. So when I decided to do a public meeting it did not involve a ride-out, it was just to greet people near the bridge." "I did not know the area well, 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 turn around, essentially, before we’re on the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to go back." Broader Context on Electric Bike Rules The increase of electric bicycles on roads nationwide has prompted increasing demands for regulation. The federal health minister, the minister, recently said that illegal ebikes were a "complete hazard on the road." "Kids have done stupid things on bikes since the invention of the penny-farthing [but] the injuries that are presenting at our ERs are truly severe," he said. "We must ensure we stop these things entering the country [and] police are granted the authority to take strong action, to take them away, to crush them, to dispose of them." The state recorded over two hundred injuries associated with ebikes in the previous year. But, in the first seven months of the following year, that figure surged to 233 injuries plus four deaths.