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New South Wales police have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and served two traffic infringement notices for alleged negligent driving after a swarm of e-bike riders gathered on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the busy commute on a weekday.

The Event: An Illegal Gathering

A gathering of approximately 40 people operating e-bikes and motorcycles proceeded along the bridge’s main deck, where cycling is prohibited. The riders subsequently reversed direction and rode through the downtown area and Haymarket.

"This had potential for people to be injured and killed," remarked NSW police assistant commissioner David Driver on Wednesday.

Law enforcement said they did not chase right away the group out of safety concerns but instead located the assembly at a scenic Sydney lookout near the city gardens, at which point they broke up.

Penalties Issued for Content Creator

On Saturday, police stated they had served the American online personality who goes by Sur Ronster, twenty-six, with two traffic infringement notices for negligent driving (not involving death or prior injury), carrying a penalty of $562 and three demerit points per notice, connected to the bridge ride-out. They added that the investigation is ongoing.

The personality reportedly has more than 3.4 million followers on one platform and more than 1.2 million on Instagram.

Influencer's Comments

The online figure gave comments to a local publication this week following the event gained traction on digital platforms, stating he was sorry for giving "bike life" a negative image.

"I accept the blame. That was one of the safest ride-outs I have witnessed," he told the publication. "I’m coming here as a guest, so I’m going to come here respecting the laws and norms of Sydney. So when I decided to do a meet and greet it did not involve a ride-out, it was just to greet people near the bridge."

"I’m unfamiliar with the city, it was my fault we found ourselves on the bridge and I had a decision to make: either the group rides the full length of the bridge and turns around, which is a crime. Or we turn around, basically, before entering the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to turn around."

Broader Context on E-Bike Regulation

The spate of e-bikes on roads nationwide has prompted increasing demands for stricter rules. A senior government official, Mark Butler, recently said that illegal ebikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

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

NSW recorded over two hundred injuries associated with electric bikes in 2024. However, in the initial half of the following year, that number surged to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four deaths.