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NSW police have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and handed out two traffic infringement notices for alleged reckless operation following a swarm of e-bike riders gathered on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during peak-hour traffic on a weekday.

The Incident: An Illegal Gathering

A group of around 40 people operating e-bikes and motorcycles travelled along the bridge’s main deck, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The riders then turned around and traveled through the downtown area and Haymarket.

"There was a risk of serious injury or fatalities," stated a senior police official David Driver on the following day.

Law enforcement indicated they did not immediately pursue the riders out of concerns for public safety but rather found the assembly at a scenic Sydney lookout near the Botanic Gardens, where they dispersed.

Penalties Issued for Content Creator

On Saturday, police announced they had served the American online personality known as Sur Ronster, 26, with two traffic infringement notices for negligent driving (with no death or previous bodily harm), with a fine of $562 and penalty points per notice, connected to the bridge incident. Officials noted that inquiries were continuing.

The influencer is said to have over 3.4m followers on YouTube and over 1.2 million on the social media app.

Creator's Response

The content creator gave comments to a local publication this week after the incident spread rapidly on news sites and social media, stating he was sorry for giving "the biking community" a bad reputation.

"I accept the blame. It was among the safest gatherings I have witnessed," he said. "I’m coming here as a guest, so I’m going to come here respecting the rules and standards of the city. So when I decided to do a meet and greet it did not involve a group ride, it was just to greet people near the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, it was my fault 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, essentially, 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 e-bikes on roads nationwide has prompted growing calls for stricter rules. The federal health minister, the minister, recently said that illegal ebikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Kids have done reckless acts on bikes ever since the early bicycle [but] the injuries that are coming into our ERs are absolutely devastating," the minister said. "We’ve got to ensure we prevent these things entering the country [and] officers are granted the powers to crack down, to take them away, to destroy them, to destroy them."

The state recorded 226 injuries associated with electric bikes in 2024. But, in the initial half of 2025, that figure jumped to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four deaths.