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New South Wales police have levied a penalty against an American social media personality and served two driving violation citations for alleged negligent driving following a swarm of e-bike riders converged on the famous Sydney landmark during peak-hour traffic on Tuesday.

The Event: A Prohibited Ride

A gathering of approximately 40 people operating electric bikes and motorbikes proceeded along the bridge’s main deck, where cycling is prohibited. The riders subsequently reversed direction and traveled through the city’s CBD and a nearby district.

"This had potential for serious injury or fatalities," stated a senior police official David Driver on the following day.

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

Penalties Issued for Influencer

On Saturday, authorities stated they had issued the US social media influencer known as Sur Ronster, 26, with two violation tickets for careless operation (with no death or previous bodily harm), with a penalty of $562 and penalty points per notice, in relation to the bridge ride-out. Officials noted that inquiries were continuing.

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

Creator's Response

The online figure gave comments to a major newspaper this week after the incident gained traction on digital platforms, saying he was sorry for giving "bike life" a bad reputation.

"I accept the blame. That was one of the safest ride-outs I have witnessed," he told the publication. "I’m coming here as a guest, and I intend to abide by the rules and standards of the city. When I decided to do a meet and greet it was not meant to include a group ride, it was just to greet people under the bridge."

"I’m unfamiliar with the city, it was my fault we found ourselves on the bridge and I had two choices: either the group completes the entirety of the bridge and comes back, which is a crime. Or we turn around, essentially, before entering the bridge. And I made the decision 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. 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 ERs are absolutely devastating," he stated. "We’ve got to ensure we stop these things entering the country [and] officers are granted the powers to take strong action, to take them away, to destroy them, to dispose of them."

NSW recorded 226 injuries related to electric bikes in the previous year. However, in the initial half of the following year, that figure surged to 233 injuries plus four deaths.