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New South Wales police have issued a fine against an American social media personality and handed out two traffic infringement notices for alleged negligent driving after a large group of e-bike riders converged on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the busy commute on Tuesday.

The Event: An Illegal Gathering

A group of around 40 people operating e-bikes and motorcycles proceeded along the bridge’s main deck, where cycling is prohibited. The riders subsequently reversed direction and rode through the downtown area and a nearby district.

"This had a risk of people to be injured and killed," remarked a senior police official David Driver on Wednesday.

Police said they did not chase right away the group out of concerns for public safety but rather found the assembly at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the Botanic Gardens, where they dispersed.

Penalties Issued for Influencer

On Saturday, police announced they had issued the American online personality who goes by Sur Ronster, twenty-six, with two traffic infringement notices for negligent driving (not involving death or prior injury), carrying a penalty of $562 and penalty points per notice, in relation to the bridge ride-out. Officials noted that inquiries were continuing.

The personality is said to have more than 3.4m subscribers on YouTube and over 1.2 million on Instagram.

Creator's Response

The online figure spoke with a major newspaper this week following the event spread rapidly on digital platforms, saying he regretted giving "the biking community" a negative image.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. That was one of the safest gatherings I have witnessed," he told the publication. "I am a visitor here, and I intend to abide by the rules and standards of Sydney. When I decided to do a meet and greet it was not meant to include a group ride, it was just to greet people near the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, it was my fault we found ourselves on the bridge and I had two choices: whether the group completes the entirety of the bridge and turns around, which is a crime. Or we turn around, essentially, before entering the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to go back."

National Debate on Electric Bike Rules

The spate of electric bicycles on roads nationwide has prompted increasing demands for stricter rules. The federal health minister, the minister, commented that illegal ebikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Kids have done stupid things on bikes since the invention of the penny-farthing [but] the harm that are presenting at our hospital emergency departments are absolutely devastating," he said. "We must ensure we prevent these things entering the country [and] officers are granted the authority to take strong action, to confiscate them, to crush them, to destroy them."

NSW reported 226 injuries associated with electric bikes in the previous year. However, in the initial half of the following year, that number surged to 233 injuries plus four deaths.