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NSW police have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and handed out two driving violation citations for alleged reckless operation following a swarm of electric bicycle users converged on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the busy commute on Tuesday.

The Incident: A Prohibited Ride

A gathering of around 40 individuals riding e-bikes and motorcycles proceeded along the bridge’s main deck, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The riders then turned around and traveled through the city’s CBD and a nearby district.

"There was a risk of serious injury or fatalities," remarked a senior police official David Driver on the following day.

Police indicated they did not chase right away the riders out of concerns for public safety but rather found the group at a scenic Sydney lookout near the Botanic Gardens, where they dispersed.

Fines Imposed for Content Creator

On Saturday, police announced they had served the American online personality who goes by Sur Ronster, twenty-six, with two traffic infringement notices for careless operation (not involving death or prior injury), carrying a fine of $562 and three demerit points per notice, in relation to the bridge ride-out. They added that the investigation is ongoing.

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

Influencer's Comments

The online figure spoke with a local publication recently after the incident spread rapidly on news sites and social media, saying he was sorry for giving "bike life" a negative image.

"I accept the blame. That was one of the safest gatherings I have witnessed," he said. "I am a visitor here, and I intend to come here respecting the laws and norms of Sydney. When I decided to do a public meeting it was not meant to include a ride-out, it was just to greet people near 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: either the group rides the full length of the bridge and turns around, an illegal act. Or we turn around, essentially, before we’re on the bridge. I chose at the time to go back."

National Debate on Electric Bike Rules

The increase of e-bikes on streets across the country has sparked growing calls for regulation. A senior government official, Mark Butler, commented that non-compliant electric bikes 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 hospital emergency departments are absolutely devastating," the minister stated. "We must ensure we stop these things entering the country [and] police are granted the powers to crack down, to take them away, to crush them, to dispose of them."

The state recorded 226 injuries associated with ebikes in the previous year. But, in the first seven months of 2025, that number jumped to 233 injuries plus four fatalities.