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New South Wales authorities have issued a fine against an American social media personality and served two driving violation citations for reported negligent driving following a swarm of electric bicycle users converged on the famous Sydney landmark during the busy commute on Tuesday.

The Incident: An Illegal Gathering

A gathering of around 40 people riding e-bikes and motorcycles proceeded along the primary roadway of the bridge, where cycling is prohibited. The riders subsequently reversed direction and traveled through the downtown area and Haymarket.

"There was potential for serious injury or fatalities," stated NSW police assistant commissioner David Driver on Wednesday.

Police said they did not immediately pursue the riders due to concerns for public safety but instead located the assembly at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the Botanic Gardens, where they dispersed.

Fines Imposed for Content Creator

Later in the week, police announced they had served the American online personality who goes by Sur Ronster, 26, with two violation tickets for careless operation (with no death or previous bodily harm), with a fine of over five hundred dollars and penalty points per notice, connected to the bridge ride-out. They added that inquiries were continuing.

The influencer reportedly has over 3.4 million followers on YouTube and more than 1.2m on the social media app.

Creator's Response

The content creator gave comments to a major newspaper this week after the incident spread rapidly on digital platforms, saying he was sorry for giving "the biking community" a negative image.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. It was one of the safest ride-outs I’ve ever seen," he told the publication. "I am a visitor here, so I’m going to abide by the laws and norms of the city. When I decided to do a public meeting 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: whether the group completes the entirety of the bridge and turns around, which is a crime. 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 electric bicycles on streets across the country has prompted increasing demands for regulation. A senior government official, Mark Butler, commented that illegal ebikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Kids have done reckless acts on bikes ever since the penny-farthing [but] the injuries that are coming into our hospital emergency departments are absolutely devastating," the minister stated. "We must ensure we prevent these things entering the country [and] police are granted the powers to take strong action, to confiscate them, to destroy them, to dispose of them."

The state recorded 226 injuries related to electric bikes in the previous year. But, in the first seven months of the following year, that number surged to 233 injuries plus four deaths.