🔗 Share this article

New South Wales authorities have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and served two traffic infringement notices for alleged negligent driving after a large group of electric bicycle users converged on the famous Sydney landmark during the busy commute on a weekday.

The Event: A Prohibited Ride

A group of around 40 people riding electric bikes and motorbikes proceeded along the primary roadway of the bridge, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The assembly subsequently reversed direction and rode through the city’s CBD and a nearby district.

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

Police indicated they did not chase right away the riders out of safety concerns but instead located the assembly at a scenic Sydney lookout near the city gardens, at which point they broke up.

Fines Imposed for Influencer

On Saturday, authorities stated they had served the US social media influencer who goes by the influencer, twenty-six, with two violation tickets for negligent driving (not involving death or prior injury), carrying a penalty of $562 and three demerit points each, connected to the bridge ride-out. They added that the investigation is ongoing.

The influencer is said to have more than 3.4 million followers on YouTube and more than 1.2 million on the social media app.

Influencer's Comments

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

"I accept the blame. It was among the safest gatherings I’ve ever seen," he said. "I am a visitor here, and I intend to come here respecting the laws and norms of Sydney. 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’m unfamiliar with the city, it was my fault we found ourselves on the bridge and I had two choices: either the group rides the full length of the bridge and comes back, an illegal act. Or we turn around, essentially, before entering the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to turn around."

Broader Context on Electric Bike Rules

The increase of e-bikes on streets across the country has sparked growing calls for stricter rules. The federal health minister, the minister, commented that illegal ebikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Kids have done reckless acts on bikes since the invention of the penny-farthing [but] the injuries that are presenting at our ERs are truly severe," the minister said. "We’ve got to ensure we stop these things coming into the country [and] police are granted the powers to take strong action, to take them away, to destroy them, to dispose of them."

The state recorded 226 injuries associated with electric bikes in 2024. But, in the initial half of the following year, that number surged to 233 injuries plus four fatalities.