🔗 Share this article

NSW police have issued a fine against an US-based online influencer and handed out two traffic infringement notices for alleged reckless operation after 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 group of around 40 people operating electric bikes and motorbikes proceeded along the bridge’s main deck, where cycling is prohibited. The riders then turned around and traveled through the downtown area and a nearby district.

"This had a risk of people to be injured and killed," remarked a senior police official the officer on Wednesday.

Law enforcement said they did not immediately pursue the group out of safety concerns but instead located the assembly at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the Botanic Gardens, where they dispersed.

Penalties Issued for Influencer

On Saturday, police stated they had issued the American online personality who goes by Sur Ronster, 26, with two violation tickets for careless operation (with no death or previous bodily harm), carrying a penalty of $562 and penalty points per notice, connected to the bridge incident. Officials noted that inquiries were continuing.

The influencer reportedly has more than 3.4 million subscribers on YouTube and over 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 regretted giving "bike life" a negative image.

"I accept the blame. It was one of the safest ride-outs I have witnessed," he said. "I am a visitor here, and I intend 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 greet people near the bridge."

"I’m unfamiliar with the city, I am to blame we ended up on the bridge and I had two choices: either 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 increasing demands for stricter rules. A senior government official, Mark Butler, commented that non-compliant electric bikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Kids have done reckless acts on bikes ever since the early bicycle [but] the injuries that are presenting at our hospital emergency departments are truly severe," he stated. "We must ensure we stop these things coming into the country [and] police are granted the authority to take strong action, to take them away, to crush them, to dispose of them."

The state recorded over two hundred injuries associated with electric bikes in 2024. But, in the initial half of the following year, that number jumped to 233 injuries plus four deaths.