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NSW police have levied a penalty 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 peak-hour traffic on a weekday.

The Incident: A Prohibited Ride

A group of around 40 people operating electric bikes and motorbikes proceeded along the primary roadway of the bridge, where cycling is prohibited. The assembly then turned around and rode through the city’s CBD and Haymarket.

"There was a risk of serious injury or fatalities," stated NSW police assistant commissioner the officer on Wednesday.

Police indicated they did not chase right away the riders out of concerns for public safety but rather found the assembly at a scenic Sydney lookout near the city gardens, at which point they broke up.

Fines Imposed for Influencer

On Saturday, police stated they had served the US social media influencer known as Sur Ronster, twenty-six, with two violation tickets for careless operation (not involving death or prior injury), carrying a fine of over five hundred dollars and penalty points per notice, connected to the bridge incident. Officials noted that the investigation is ongoing.

The influencer reportedly has more than 3.4m subscribers on one platform and over 1.2m on Instagram.

Creator's Response

The content creator gave comments to a local publication this week after the incident gained traction on news sites and social media, stating he was sorry for giving "the biking community" a negative image.

"I accept the blame. That was one of the safest gatherings I’ve ever seen," he told the publication. "I’m coming here as a guest, so I’m going to abide by the rules and standards of the city. So when I decided to do a public meeting it did not involve a group ride, it was just to greet people near the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, I am to blame 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, which is a crime. Or we reverse, basically, before entering the bridge. I chose at the time to turn around."

Broader Context on Electric Bike Rules

The increase of e-bikes on streets across the country has prompted increasing demands for regulation. A senior government official, Mark Butler, commented that non-compliant electric bikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Young people have engaged in reckless acts on bikes ever since the penny-farthing [but] the harm that are presenting at our hospital emergency departments are truly severe," the minister said. "We must make sure we prevent these things coming into the country [and] officers are given the authority to crack down, to confiscate them, to crush them, to destroy them."

NSW reported over two hundred injuries related to ebikes in the previous year. But, in the initial half of 2025, that number surged to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four fatalities.