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New South Wales authorities have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and served two traffic infringement notices for reported negligent driving after a large group of electric bicycle users converged on the famous Sydney landmark during the busy commute on a weekday.

The Event: A Prohibited Ride

A gathering of approximately 40 individuals operating e-bikes and motorcycles travelled along the primary roadway of the bridge, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The assembly subsequently reversed direction and traveled through the downtown area and Haymarket.

"This had a risk of serious injury or fatalities," remarked NSW police assistant commissioner the officer on the following day.

Law enforcement indicated they did not chase right away the group due to safety concerns but rather found the assembly at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair 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 known as Sur Ronster, 26, with two violation tickets for negligent driving (not involving death or prior injury), with a penalty of over five hundred dollars and three demerit points per notice, in relation to the bridge ride-out. Officials noted that inquiries were continuing.

The personality is said to have more than 3.4m subscribers on YouTube and more than 1.2m on the social media app.

Influencer's Comments

The online figure spoke with a major newspaper this week after the incident gained traction on digital platforms, saying he regretted giving "bike life" a bad reputation.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. That was among the safest gatherings I’ve ever seen," he said. "I am a visitor here, and I intend to abide by the rules and standards of Sydney. When I decided to do a meet and greet it was not meant to include a ride-out, it was just to greet people near 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 comes back, which is a crime. Or we turn around, essentially, before we’re on the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to turn around."

Broader Context on E-Bike Regulation

The increase of e-bikes on streets across the country has sparked increasing demands for regulation. The federal health minister, Mark Butler, 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 hospital emergency departments are absolutely devastating," the minister said. "We must make sure we stop these things entering the country [and] police are given the authority to crack down, to confiscate them, to crush them, to destroy them."

The state reported 226 injuries associated with electric bikes in 2024. But, in the first seven months of the following year, that number surged to 233 injuries plus four fatalities.