🔗 Share this article

NSW authorities have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and served two driving violation citations for alleged reckless operation following a swarm of e-bike riders gathered on the famous Sydney landmark during the busy commute on Tuesday.

The Event: A Prohibited Ride

A group of around 40 people operating e-bikes and motorcycles 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 potential for people to be injured and killed," remarked a senior police official the officer on the following day.

Police indicated they did not immediately pursue the riders due to safety concerns but instead located the assembly at a scenic Sydney lookout near the Botanic Gardens, at which point they broke up.

Fines Imposed for Influencer

On Saturday, authorities stated they had served the US social media influencer known as the influencer, 26, with two violation tickets for negligent driving (with no death or previous bodily harm), carrying a fine of over five hundred dollars and penalty points each, connected to the bridge incident. Officials noted that the investigation is ongoing.

The personality reportedly has over 3.4m followers on one platform and over 1.2m on Instagram.

Creator's Response

The content creator gave comments to a local publication recently after the incident spread rapidly 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 ride-outs I’ve ever seen," he told the publication. "I’m coming here as a guest, and I intend to come here respecting the laws and norms of Sydney. So when I decided to do a public meeting it did not involve a group ride, it was just to greet people under the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, I am to blame we ended up on the bridge and I had two choices: either the group rides the full length of the bridge and comes back, an illegal act. Or we turn around, essentially, before entering the bridge. I chose at the time to go back."

Broader Context on E-Bike Regulation

The increase of electric bicycles on roads nationwide has sparked growing calls for stricter rules. A senior government official, Mark Butler, recently said that non-compliant electric bikes 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," he said. "We must make sure we prevent these things coming into the country [and] police are given the authority to take strong action, to take them away, to destroy them, to dispose of them."

The state recorded 226 injuries related to ebikes in the previous year. But, in the first seven months of the following year, that number surged to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four deaths.