🔗 Share this article

NSW authorities have issued a fine against an US-based online influencer and handed out two driving violation citations for reported reckless operation after a swarm of electric bicycle users gathered on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during peak-hour traffic on a weekday.

The Event: A Prohibited Ride

A gathering of approximately 40 individuals riding electric bikes and motorbikes proceeded along the bridge’s main deck, where cycling is prohibited. The riders subsequently reversed direction and traveled through the city’s CBD and Haymarket.

"This had potential for people to be injured and killed," remarked NSW police assistant commissioner David Driver on Wednesday.

Law enforcement indicated they did not immediately pursue the group due to concerns for public safety but instead located the group at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the Botanic Gardens, where they dispersed.

Penalties Issued for Content Creator

On Saturday, authorities stated they had served the American online personality who goes by Sur Ronster, 26, with two violation tickets for negligent driving (not involving death or prior injury), carrying a penalty of $562 and three demerit points per notice, connected to the bridge incident. They added that the investigation is ongoing.

The personality reportedly has over 3.4m followers on YouTube and more than 1.2m on the social media app.

Influencer's Comments

The online figure gave comments to a major newspaper this week after the incident spread rapidly on news sites and social media, stating he regretted giving "bike life" a bad reputation.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. It was one of the safest gatherings I have witnessed," he told the publication. "I’m coming here as a guest, so I’m going to abide by the laws and norms of Sydney. So when I decided to do a public meeting it was not meant to include a group ride, it was just to say hi under 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: either the group rides the full length of the bridge and turns around, an illegal act. Or we turn around, essentially, before we’re on the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to turn around."

National Debate on E-Bike Regulation

The increase of electric bicycles on streets across the country has prompted growing calls for stricter rules. A senior government official, the minister, commented that illegal ebikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Young people have engaged in reckless acts on bikes ever since the penny-farthing [but] the harm that are presenting at our hospital emergency departments are truly severe," he said. "We must make sure we prevent these things coming into the country [and] police are granted the powers to take strong action, to take them away, to crush them, to destroy them."

The state recorded 226 injuries related to electric bikes in the previous year. However, in the first seven months of 2025, that figure surged to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four fatalities.