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New South Wales authorities have levied a penalty against an American social media personality and handed out two driving violation citations for reported reckless operation after a swarm of electric bicycle users converged on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the busy commute on Tuesday.

The Event: A Prohibited Ride

A gathering of around 40 people operating e-bikes and motorcycles proceeded along the primary roadway of the bridge, where cycling is prohibited. The riders then turned around and rode through the city’s CBD and a nearby district.

"There was potential for people to be injured and killed," stated NSW police assistant commissioner the officer on Wednesday.

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

Fines Imposed for Influencer

Later in the week, police announced they had served the American online personality who goes by Sur Ronster, 26, with two traffic infringement notices for careless operation (not involving death or prior injury), carrying a fine of $562 and three demerit points each, in relation to the bridge incident. They added that inquiries were continuing.

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

Influencer's Comments

The online figure spoke with a local publication this week following the event spread rapidly on news sites and social media, saying he regretted giving "the biking community" a negative image.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. It was among the safest ride-outs I have witnessed," he told the publication. "I’m coming here as a guest, and I intend to abide by the rules and standards of Sydney. So when I decided to do a public meeting it was not meant to include a group ride, it was just to say hi near the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, it was my fault we ended up on the bridge and I had two choices: whether the group completes the entirety of the bridge and comes back, an illegal act. Or we reverse, essentially, before we’re on the bridge. I chose at the time to turn around."

Broader Context on Electric Bike Rules

The spate of electric bicycles on roads nationwide has sparked increasing demands for regulation. The federal health minister, the minister, recently said that non-compliant electric bikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Kids have done stupid things on bikes since the invention of the penny-farthing [but] the harm that are coming into our ERs are absolutely devastating," the minister said. "We must make sure we stop these things coming into the country [and] police are given 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 electric bikes in the previous year. However, in the first seven months of the following year, that number jumped to 233 injuries plus four fatalities.