🔗 Share this article

NSW authorities have issued a fine against an American social media personality and handed out two traffic infringement notices for alleged negligent driving after a large group of electric bicycle users gathered on the famous Sydney landmark during peak-hour traffic on Tuesday.

The Incident: A Prohibited Ride

A group of around 40 people operating electric bikes and motorbikes proceeded along the bridge’s main deck, where cycling is prohibited. The assembly subsequently reversed direction and rode through the city’s CBD and Haymarket.

"There was a risk of people to be injured and killed," remarked a senior police official David Driver on Wednesday.

Police indicated they did not immediately pursue the riders due to safety concerns but rather found the assembly at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the Botanic Gardens, where they dispersed.

Penalties Issued for Influencer

On Saturday, authorities announced they had served the US social media influencer who goes by the influencer, twenty-six, with two traffic infringement notices for careless operation (with no death or previous bodily harm), with a fine of over five hundred dollars and three demerit points each, connected to the bridge incident. Officials noted that inquiries were continuing.

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

Influencer's Comments

The content creator gave comments to a local publication recently after the incident gained traction on digital platforms, saying he regretted giving "bike life" a bad reputation.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. It was one of the safest gatherings I have witnessed," he said. "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 was not meant to include a group ride, it was just to say hi near the bridge."

"I’m unfamiliar with the city, it was my fault we ended up on the bridge and I had two choices: whether the group rides the full length of the bridge and comes back, which is a crime. Or we reverse, essentially, before we’re on the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to turn around."

Broader Context on Electric Bike Rules

The spate of electric bicycles on roads nationwide has prompted increasing demands for regulation. The federal health minister, the minister, commented that illegal ebikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Kids have done stupid things on bikes ever since the early bicycle [but] the harm that are coming into our hospital emergency departments are absolutely devastating," he stated. "We’ve got to make sure we stop these things entering the country [and] police are granted the authority to crack down, to take them away, to destroy them, to destroy them."

The state reported 226 injuries related to electric bikes in the previous year. But, in the first seven months of 2025, that figure jumped to 233 injuries plus four deaths.