🔗 Share this article

New South Wales authorities have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and handed out two traffic infringement notices for alleged reckless operation after a swarm of e-bike riders gathered on the famous Sydney landmark during the busy commute on Tuesday.

The Incident: An Illegal Gathering

A gathering of approximately 40 people operating electric bikes and motorbikes proceeded along the primary roadway of the bridge, where cycling is prohibited. The riders subsequently reversed direction and traveled through the downtown area and a nearby district.

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

Law enforcement indicated they did not immediately pursue the group due to concerns for public safety but instead located the group at a scenic Sydney lookout near the city gardens, at which point they broke up.

Fines Imposed for Influencer

Later in the week, authorities stated they had served the US social media influencer known as the influencer, twenty-six, with two traffic infringement notices for negligent driving (not involving death or prior injury), carrying a fine of $562 and three demerit points per notice, in relation to the bridge ride-out. Officials noted that the investigation is ongoing.

The influencer reportedly has more than 3.4m followers on one platform and more than 1.2m on the social media app.

Influencer's Comments

The online figure gave comments to a major newspaper recently after the incident spread rapidly on digital platforms, saying he regretted giving "bike life" a negative image.

"I accept the blame. That was one of the safest gatherings I have witnessed," he told the publication. "I am a visitor here, and I intend to come here respecting the rules and standards of the city. When I decided to do a public meeting it was not meant to include a group ride, it was just to greet people near the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, I am to blame we found ourselves on the bridge and I had two choices: either the group rides the full length of the bridge and turns around, an illegal act. Or we turn around, basically, before entering the bridge. I chose at the time to go back."

Broader Context on Electric Bike Rules

The spate of electric bicycles on streets across the country has prompted growing calls for regulation. The federal health minister, Mark Butler, commented that non-compliant electric bikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Young people have engaged in stupid things on bikes since the invention of the penny-farthing [but] the harm that are coming into our hospital emergency departments are absolutely devastating," the minister stated. "We’ve got to make sure we prevent these things entering the country [and] officers are granted the powers to take strong action, to take them away, to crush them, to destroy them."

NSW recorded over two hundred injuries related to electric bikes in 2024. However, in the first seven months of the following year, that figure surged to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four fatalities.