🔗 Share this article

NSW authorities have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and handed out two traffic infringement notices for reported negligent driving after a swarm of e-bike riders converged on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during peak-hour traffic on a weekday.

The Incident: A Prohibited Ride

A group of approximately 40 people operating e-bikes and motorcycles proceeded along the primary roadway of the bridge, where cycling is prohibited. The assembly subsequently reversed direction and rode through the downtown area and a nearby district.

"This had a risk of serious injury or fatalities," stated a senior police official David Driver on Wednesday.

Law enforcement said they did not chase right away the riders out of safety concerns but instead located the assembly at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the city gardens, where they dispersed.

Fines Imposed for Content Creator

On Saturday, authorities stated they had served the American online personality known as the influencer, 26, with two traffic infringement notices for careless operation (not involving death or prior injury), carrying a penalty of $562 and penalty points per notice, in relation to the bridge incident. They added that inquiries were continuing.

The influencer is said to have over 3.4m subscribers on one platform and more than 1.2m on Instagram.

Creator's Response

The content creator gave comments to a major newspaper this week after the incident gained traction on digital platforms, saying he regretted giving "bike life" a negative image.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. It was one of the safest gatherings I have witnessed," he said. "I’m coming here as a guest, and I intend to abide by the rules and standards of Sydney. 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, I am to blame we found ourselves on the bridge and I had a decision to make: either the group completes the entirety of the bridge and turns around, which is a crime. Or we reverse, basically, before entering the bridge. I chose at the time to turn around."

National Debate on Electric Bike Rules

The increase of e-bikes on roads nationwide has sparked increasing demands for regulation. The federal health minister, Mark Butler, commented that illegal ebikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Young people have engaged in stupid things on bikes since the invention of the penny-farthing [but] the injuries that are presenting at our hospital emergency departments are absolutely devastating," he said. "We’ve got to ensure we prevent these things entering the country [and] officers are given the authority to take strong action, to confiscate them, to destroy them, to dispose of them."

The state recorded 226 injuries related to ebikes in the previous year. But, in the first seven months of the following year, that figure surged to 233 injuries plus four fatalities.