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NSW police have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and served two driving violation citations for alleged negligent driving following a large group of electric bicycle users converged on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during peak-hour traffic on a weekday.

The Incident: A Prohibited Ride

A group of around 40 people riding electric bikes and motorbikes proceeded along the primary roadway of the bridge, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The assembly then turned around and traveled through the downtown area and a nearby district.

"There was potential for serious injury or fatalities," remarked a senior police official David Driver on Wednesday.

Police indicated they did not immediately pursue the riders out of safety concerns but instead located the assembly at a scenic Sydney lookout near the city gardens, where they dispersed.

Penalties Issued for Content Creator

Later in the week, authorities announced they had served the US social media influencer who goes by Sur Ronster, twenty-six, with two traffic infringement notices for careless operation (not involving death or prior injury), carrying a penalty of $562 and penalty points each, in relation to the bridge ride-out. They added that inquiries were continuing.

The personality reportedly has over 3.4 million subscribers on one platform and over 1.2m on the social media app.

Influencer's Comments

The content creator gave comments to a local publication recently after the incident spread rapidly on digital platforms, stating he regretted giving "the biking community" a negative image.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. That was one of the safest gatherings I have witnessed," he said. "I am a visitor here, so I’m going to abide by the rules and standards 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, I am to blame we ended up on the bridge and I had a decision to make: either the group completes the entirety of the bridge and turns around, an illegal act. Or we turn around, basically, before we’re on the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to go back."

National Debate on E-Bike Regulation

The spate of e-bikes on streets across the country has sparked increasing demands for regulation. The federal health minister, the minister, recently said that non-compliant electric bikes were a "complete hazard 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," he said. "We must make sure we stop these things coming into the country [and] officers are given the authority to take strong action, to confiscate them, to crush them, to destroy them."

The state reported 226 injuries associated with ebikes in 2024. But, in the first seven months of 2025, that number jumped to 233 injuries plus four deaths.