🔗 Share this article

New South Wales authorities have issued a fine against an American social media personality and handed out two traffic infringement notices 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: A Prohibited Ride

A group of around 40 people riding 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," remarked NSW police assistant commissioner David Driver on Wednesday.

Police indicated they did not chase right away the group 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 Content Creator

On Saturday, police announced they had served the US social media influencer who goes by the influencer, 26, with two violation tickets for careless operation (with no death or previous bodily harm), with a penalty of $562 and three demerit points each, in relation to the bridge ride-out. Officials noted that inquiries were continuing.

The personality is said to have over 3.4m followers on one platform and over 1.2m on the social media app.

Creator's Response

The content creator gave comments to a local publication this week after the incident spread rapidly on news sites and social media, stating he regretted giving "bike life" a bad reputation.

"I accept the blame. It was among the safest gatherings I’ve ever seen," he told the publication. "I’m coming here as a guest, so I’m going to come here respecting the rules and standards of Sydney. So when I decided to do a public meeting it did not involve a ride-out, it was just to say hi near the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, 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 comes back, an illegal act. Or we reverse, basically, before we’re on the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to go back."

Broader Context on E-Bike Regulation

The spate of e-bikes on streets across the country has sparked growing calls for stricter rules. A senior government official, Mark Butler, commented that illegal ebikes 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 injuries that are presenting at our ERs are truly severe," he said. "We must ensure we stop these things entering the country [and] officers are given the authority to take strong action, to confiscate them, to destroy them, to destroy them."

NSW recorded over two hundred injuries associated with ebikes in 2024. However, in the initial half of the following year, that number surged to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four deaths.