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NSW police have issued a fine against an US-based online influencer and handed out two traffic infringement notices for alleged reckless operation after a large group of electric bicycle users gathered on the famous Sydney landmark during peak-hour traffic on a weekday.

The Event: A Prohibited Ride

A group of around 40 people riding electric bikes and motorbikes travelled along the primary roadway of the bridge, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The assembly then turned around and traveled through the downtown area and Haymarket.

"This had potential for serious injury or fatalities," stated NSW police assistant commissioner the officer on Wednesday.

Police said they did not immediately pursue the group out of safety concerns but rather found the group at a scenic Sydney lookout near the city gardens, where they dispersed.

Fines Imposed for Influencer

Later in the week, police stated they had served the American online personality known as the influencer, twenty-six, with two violation tickets for negligent driving (not involving death or prior injury), carrying a penalty of $562 and penalty points per notice, connected to the bridge ride-out. They added that inquiries were continuing.

The influencer is said to have over 3.4m followers on YouTube and over 1.2m on Instagram.

Influencer's Comments

The online figure gave comments to a local publication this week after the incident spread rapidly on digital platforms, stating he was sorry for giving "bike life" a negative image.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. It was among the safest ride-outs 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 was not meant to include a ride-out, it was just to say hi under the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, it was my fault we ended up on the bridge and I had a decision to make: whether the group completes the entirety 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 Electric Bike Rules

The increase of electric bicycles on streets across the country has prompted increasing demands for stricter rules. A senior government official, Mark Butler, recently said 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 early bicycle [but] the injuries that are coming into our hospital emergency departments are truly severe," the minister stated. "We’ve got to ensure we stop these things coming into the country [and] police are granted the powers to crack down, to confiscate them, to destroy them, to destroy them."

NSW recorded 226 injuries related to ebikes in 2024. However, in the initial half of 2025, that figure surged to 233 injuries plus four fatalities.