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NSW authorities have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and served two traffic infringement notices for reported negligent driving after a swarm of electric bicycle users converged on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the busy commute on a weekday.

The Incident: A Prohibited Ride

A group of approximately 40 people riding electric bikes and motorbikes proceeded along the bridge’s main deck, where cycling is prohibited. The riders subsequently reversed direction and traveled through the city’s CBD and Haymarket.

"This had potential for people to be injured and killed," remarked NSW police assistant commissioner the officer on Wednesday.

Law enforcement said they did not immediately pursue the group due to safety concerns but rather found the group at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the Botanic Gardens, where they dispersed.

Penalties Issued for Content Creator

On Saturday, police stated they had issued the US social media influencer known as the influencer, 26, with two violation tickets for careless operation (with no death or previous bodily harm), 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 reportedly has over 3.4m followers on one platform and over 1.2m on Instagram.

Influencer's Comments

The content creator spoke with a local publication this week after the incident gained traction on digital platforms, saying he was sorry for giving "bike life" a bad reputation.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. That was one of the safest gatherings I have witnessed," he said. "I am a visitor here, so I’m going to abide by the laws and norms of Sydney. So when I decided to do a meet and greet it did not involve a group ride, it was just to greet people under the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, it was my fault we ended up on the bridge and I had two choices: either the group rides the full length of the bridge and turns around, which is a crime. Or we reverse, essentially, before entering the bridge. I chose at the time to go back."

National Debate on E-Bike Regulation

The increase of electric bicycles on streets across the country has sparked growing calls for regulation. The federal health minister, 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 penny-farthing [but] the harm that are presenting at our ERs are truly severe," he said. "We must make sure we stop these things entering the country [and] police are given the authority to crack down, to take them away, to crush them, to dispose of them."

NSW recorded over two hundred injuries related to ebikes in 2024. But, in the initial half of the following year, that figure surged to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four fatalities.