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New South Wales police have issued a fine against an American social media personality and served two traffic infringement notices for reported reckless operation after a large group of e-bike riders converged on the famous Sydney landmark during peak-hour traffic on Tuesday.

The Incident: A Prohibited Ride

A group of around 40 individuals operating e-bikes and motorcycles proceeded along the bridge’s main deck, where cycling is prohibited. The assembly subsequently reversed direction and rode through the city’s CBD and Haymarket.

"There was a risk of people to be injured and killed," stated NSW police assistant commissioner the officer on the following day.

Law enforcement indicated they did not chase right away the group out of safety concerns but instead located the assembly at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the Botanic Gardens, at which point they broke up.

Fines Imposed for Content Creator

Later in the week, police stated they had issued the American online personality who goes by Sur Ronster, 26, with two traffic infringement notices for careless operation (with no death or previous bodily harm), with a penalty of $562 and three demerit points per notice, connected to the bridge ride-out. Officials noted that inquiries were continuing.

The influencer reportedly has more than 3.4m subscribers on YouTube and over 1.2 million on the social media app.

Creator's Response

The online figure spoke with a local publication this week after the incident spread rapidly on news sites and social media, saying he regretted giving "bike life" a bad reputation.

"I accept the blame. It was one of the safest gatherings I have witnessed," he said. "I am a visitor here, and I intend to come here respecting the laws and norms of the city. When I decided to do a meet and greet it did not involve a group ride, it was just to say hi under the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, it was my fault we found ourselves on the bridge and I had two choices: either the group completes the entirety of the bridge and comes back, an illegal act. Or we turn around, basically, before we’re on the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to go back."

National Debate on Electric Bike Rules

The increase of e-bikes on roads nationwide has prompted increasing demands for stricter rules. A senior government official, the minister, recently said that illegal ebikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Kids have done stupid things on bikes since the invention of the early bicycle [but] the harm that are presenting at our ERs are truly severe," he said. "We’ve got to ensure we stop these things coming into the country [and] police are granted the powers to crack down, to take them away, 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 figure jumped to 233 injuries plus four fatalities.