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NSW police have issued a fine against an US-based online influencer and handed out two driving violation citations for alleged reckless operation after a swarm of e-bike riders gathered on the famous Sydney landmark during the busy commute on a weekday.

The Event: An Illegal Gathering

A gathering of around 40 people operating electric bikes and motorbikes proceeded along the primary roadway of the bridge, where cycling is prohibited. The riders subsequently reversed direction and rode through the city’s CBD and Haymarket.

"There was potential for people to be injured and killed," stated NSW police assistant commissioner David Driver on the following day.

Law enforcement said they did not immediately pursue the group due to concerns for public safety but rather found the assembly at a scenic Sydney lookout near the Botanic Gardens, at which point they broke up.

Fines Imposed for Influencer

On Saturday, police announced they had issued the US social media influencer who goes by Sur Ronster, twenty-six, with two violation tickets for negligent driving (with no death or previous bodily harm), carrying a penalty of over five hundred dollars and penalty points each, connected to the bridge incident. Officials noted that inquiries were continuing.

The personality is said to have over 3.4 million subscribers on one platform and more than 1.2 million on Instagram.

Influencer's Comments

The online figure spoke with a major newspaper this week following the event gained traction on digital platforms, 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, so I’m going to abide by 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’m unfamiliar with the city, I am to blame we ended up on the bridge and I had two choices: whether the group rides the full length of the bridge and comes back, an illegal act. Or we reverse, basically, before we’re on the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to turn around."

National Debate on Electric Bike Rules

The increase of electric bicycles on streets across the country has prompted growing calls for stricter rules. A senior government official, the minister, 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 presenting at our hospital emergency departments are truly severe," he stated. "We must make sure we stop these things entering the country [and] police are granted the authority to take strong action, to confiscate them, to destroy them, to destroy them."

NSW recorded over two hundred injuries associated with ebikes in 2024. But, in the first seven months of the following year, that figure jumped to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four fatalities.