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New South Wales police have issued a fine against an US-based online influencer and served two driving violation citations for reported reckless operation after a swarm of e-bike riders gathered on the famous Sydney landmark during the busy commute on a weekday.

The Incident: An Illegal Gathering

A gathering of approximately 40 people operating e-bikes and motorcycles proceeded along the bridge’s main deck, where cycling is prohibited. The riders then turned around and traveled through the downtown area and a nearby district.

"There was potential for people to be injured and killed," stated a senior police official the officer on Wednesday.

Law enforcement said they did not chase right away the riders due to concerns for public safety but rather found the assembly at a scenic Sydney lookout near the Botanic Gardens, at which point they broke up.

Fines Imposed for Influencer

Later in the week, police announced they had served the American online personality who goes by Sur Ronster, twenty-six, with two violation tickets for negligent driving (with no death or previous bodily harm), carrying a fine of $562 and penalty points each, connected to the bridge incident. They added that inquiries were continuing.

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

Influencer's Comments

The online figure gave comments to a major newspaper recently following the event spread rapidly on digital platforms, saying he regretted giving "the biking community" a negative image.

"I accept the blame. It was among the safest gatherings I have witnessed," he told the publication. "I’m coming here as a guest, so I’m going to come here respecting the rules and standards of the city. So when I decided to do a public meeting it did not involve a group ride, it was just to greet people near the bridge."

"I’m unfamiliar with the city, I am to blame we ended up 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, basically, before entering the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to turn around."

Broader Context on E-Bike Regulation

The increase of e-bikes on streets across the country has prompted growing calls for regulation. A senior government official, Mark Butler, recently said that illegal ebikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Kids have done stupid things on bikes ever since the penny-farthing [but] the harm that are presenting at our ERs are truly severe," the minister stated. "We must ensure we prevent these things entering the country [and] officers are granted the powers to take strong action, to confiscate them, to crush them, to dispose of them."

NSW reported over two hundred injuries related to ebikes in the previous year. But, in the first seven months of the following year, that number surged to 233 injuries plus four fatalities.