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New South Wales police have levied a penalty against an American social media personality and served two traffic infringement notices for alleged negligent driving following a large group of e-bike riders gathered on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during peak-hour traffic on a weekday.

The Incident: A Prohibited Ride

A gathering of around 40 individuals operating electric bikes and motorbikes proceeded along the bridge’s main deck, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The assembly subsequently reversed direction and traveled through the downtown area and Haymarket.

"This had potential for people to be injured and killed," stated NSW police assistant commissioner David Driver on the following day.

Police indicated they did not immediately pursue the group out of safety concerns but rather found the assembly at a scenic Sydney lookout near the Botanic Gardens, at which point they broke up.

Penalties Issued for Influencer

On Saturday, police stated they had served the American online personality known as Sur Ronster, twenty-six, with two traffic infringement notices for careless operation (with no death or previous bodily harm), with a fine of $562 and penalty points per notice, connected to the bridge ride-out. Officials noted that inquiries were continuing.

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

Creator's Response

The online figure spoke with a major newspaper recently after the incident spread rapidly on news sites and social media, saying he regretted giving "the biking community" a negative image.

"I accept the blame. It was among the safest gatherings I have witnessed," he told the publication. "I am a visitor here, so I’m going to abide by the laws and norms of Sydney. So when I decided to do a meet and greet it was not meant to include a group ride, it was just to greet people under the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, it was my fault we found ourselves on the bridge and I had a decision to make: whether the group rides the full length of the bridge and turns around, an illegal act. Or we reverse, basically, before entering the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to go back."

Broader Context on E-Bike Regulation

The spate of electric bicycles on streets across the country has prompted increasing demands for regulation. The federal health minister, Mark Butler, commented that illegal ebikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Kids have done stupid things on bikes ever since the penny-farthing [but] the injuries that are coming into our hospital emergency departments are absolutely devastating," he said. "We must ensure we stop these things coming into the country [and] police are granted the powers to crack down, to take them away, to crush them, to destroy them."

NSW reported over two hundred injuries associated with electric bikes in the previous year. But, in the initial half of 2025, that number surged to 233 injuries plus four deaths.