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NSW police have issued a fine against an US-based online influencer and served two driving violation citations for reported reckless operation following a swarm of e-bike riders gathered on the famous Sydney landmark during peak-hour traffic on a weekday.

The Incident: An Illegal Gathering

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

"This had a risk of people to be injured and killed," stated NSW police assistant commissioner the officer on Wednesday.

Law enforcement said they did not chase right away the group out of safety concerns but instead located the group at a scenic Sydney lookout near the Botanic Gardens, where they dispersed.

Penalties Issued for Content Creator

Later in the week, authorities stated they had served the US social media influencer known as Sur Ronster, twenty-six, with two violation tickets for careless operation (with no death or previous bodily harm), with a penalty of $562 and three demerit points each, in relation to the bridge incident. They added that inquiries were continuing.

The personality is said to have more than 3.4 million subscribers on YouTube and more than 1.2m on Instagram.

Influencer's Comments

The content creator gave comments to a major newspaper recently after the incident spread rapidly on news sites and social media, stating he regretted giving "the biking community" a negative image.

"I accept the blame. That was one of the safest ride-outs I have witnessed," he told the publication. "I am a visitor here, so I’m going to abide by the laws and norms of the city. So when I decided to do a public meeting it did not involve a ride-out, it was just to say hi near the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, 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 reverse, essentially, before entering the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to go back."

National Debate on Electric Bike Rules

The spate of e-bikes on streets across the country has sparked increasing demands for stricter rules. The federal health minister, the minister, commented that illegal ebikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Kids have done reckless acts on bikes since the invention of the penny-farthing [but] the harm that are presenting at our hospital emergency departments are truly severe," he stated. "We’ve got to ensure we stop these things entering the country [and] officers are given the authority to crack down, to take them away, to destroy them, to dispose of them."

NSW reported 226 injuries associated with electric bikes in 2024. But, in the initial half of the following year, that figure surged to 233 injuries plus four fatalities.