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

The Incident: A Prohibited Ride

A group of approximately 40 individuals riding electric bikes and motorbikes travelled along the bridge’s main deck, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The riders subsequently reversed direction and rode through the downtown area and Haymarket.

"There was potential for serious injury or fatalities," remarked NSW police assistant commissioner the officer on the following day.

Law enforcement said they did not chase right away the group out of concerns for public safety but rather found the group at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the Botanic Gardens, at which point they broke up.

Penalties Issued for Content Creator

On Saturday, authorities announced they had served the US social media influencer who goes by Sur Ronster, twenty-six, with two traffic infringement notices for careless operation (not involving death or prior injury), carrying a penalty of over five hundred dollars and penalty points each, connected to the bridge ride-out. Officials noted that inquiries were continuing.

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

Influencer's Comments

The content creator spoke with a local publication this week following the event spread rapidly on news sites and social media, saying he was sorry for giving "the biking community" a negative image.

"I accept the blame. It was among the safest ride-outs I’ve ever seen," he said. "I am a visitor here, and I intend to come here respecting the rules and standards of the city. So when I decided to do a meet and greet it was not meant to include a ride-out, it was just to say hi under the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, 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, an illegal act. Or we reverse, basically, before we’re on the bridge. I chose at the time to turn around."

Broader Context on E-Bike Regulation

The increase of e-bikes on streets across the country has prompted growing calls for stricter rules. The federal health minister, Mark Butler, recently said that non-compliant electric bikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Kids have done reckless acts on bikes ever since the penny-farthing [but] the harm that are coming into our hospital emergency departments are absolutely devastating," he said. "We must make sure we stop these things entering the country [and] officers are given the powers to take strong action, to confiscate them, to destroy them, to dispose of them."

The state reported 226 injuries related to electric bikes in the previous year. But, in the initial half of 2025, that number surged to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four deaths.