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NSW police have levied a penalty against an American social media personality and handed out two driving violation citations for alleged negligent driving following a large group of e-bike riders converged on the famous Sydney landmark during peak-hour traffic on Tuesday.

The Event: An Illegal Gathering

A gathering of around 40 people operating e-bikes and motorcycles travelled along the bridge’s main deck, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The assembly then turned around and traveled through the downtown area and Haymarket.

"This had a risk of serious injury or fatalities," remarked NSW police assistant commissioner the officer on the following day.

Law enforcement indicated they did not chase right away the group due to concerns for public safety but instead located the group at a scenic Sydney lookout near the city gardens, where they dispersed.

Penalties Issued for Content Creator

Later in the week, police stated they had served the American online personality known as Sur Ronster, 26, with two traffic infringement notices for careless operation (not involving death or prior injury), carrying a fine of $562 and three demerit points each, connected to the bridge ride-out. They added that the investigation is ongoing.

The influencer is said to have more than 3.4 million subscribers on one platform and over 1.2m on the social media app.

Influencer's Comments

The content creator spoke with a major newspaper this week following the event spread rapidly on news sites and social media, saying he was sorry for giving "the biking community" a bad reputation.

"I accept the blame. It was one of the safest gatherings I have witnessed," he told the publication. "I am a visitor here, and I intend to abide by the laws and norms of Sydney. So when I decided to do a meet and greet it did not involve a group ride, it was just to greet people near the bridge."

"I’m unfamiliar with the city, I am to blame we found ourselves on the bridge and I had a decision to make: 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 E-Bike Regulation

The spate of electric bicycles on roads nationwide has prompted growing calls for regulation. The federal health minister, Mark Butler, commented that non-compliant electric bikes 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 truly severe," he said. "We’ve got to make sure we stop these things coming into the country [and] police are given the powers to crack down, to take them away, to destroy them, to dispose of them."

NSW recorded 226 injuries associated with electric bikes in 2024. But, in the first seven months of the following year, that figure jumped to 233 injuries plus four fatalities.