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NSW police have issued a fine against an US-based online influencer and handed out two driving violation citations for reported reckless operation after a large group of electric bicycle users converged on the famous Sydney landmark during peak-hour traffic on Tuesday.

The Event: A Prohibited Ride

A gathering of around 40 people riding electric bikes and motorbikes travelled along the bridge’s main deck, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The assembly subsequently reversed direction 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 David Driver on Wednesday.

Police said they did not chase right away the riders due to safety concerns but instead located the assembly at a scenic Sydney lookout near the city gardens, at which point they broke up.

Fines Imposed for Content Creator

On Saturday, authorities stated they had served the US social media influencer who goes by Sur Ronster, twenty-six, with two traffic infringement notices for careless operation (with no death or previous bodily harm), with 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 is said to have more than 3.4m subscribers on YouTube and more than 1.2 million on the social media app.

Influencer's Comments

The online figure gave comments to a major newspaper this week after the incident spread rapidly on digital platforms, saying he was sorry for giving "bike life" a negative image.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. It was among the safest gatherings I have witnessed," he said. "I’m coming here as a guest, so I’m going to abide by the rules and standards of Sydney. When I decided to do a public meeting it was not meant to include a group ride, it was just to greet people under the bridge."

"I’m unfamiliar with the city, it was my fault we ended up on the bridge and I had a decision to make: whether the group rides the full length of the bridge and turns around, an illegal act. Or we reverse, essentially, before we’re on the bridge. I chose at the time to turn around."

National Debate on Electric Bike Rules

The increase of electric bicycles on streets across the country has sparked growing calls for stricter rules. The federal health minister, Mark Butler, commented that non-compliant electric bikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Young people have engaged in stupid things on bikes ever since the penny-farthing [but] the harm that are presenting at our ERs are truly severe," the minister said. "We’ve got to make sure we stop these things entering the country [and] officers are given the powers to crack down, to take them away, to crush them, to dispose of them."

NSW reported 226 injuries associated with ebikes in 2024. But, in the initial half of 2025, that figure jumped to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four fatalities.