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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 alleged negligent driving following a large group of electric bicycle users gathered on the famous Sydney landmark during peak-hour traffic on Tuesday.

The Incident: A Prohibited Ride

A gathering of around 40 individuals riding electric bikes and motorbikes proceeded along the primary roadway of the bridge, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The riders subsequently reversed direction and traveled through the city’s CBD and a nearby district.

"There was a risk of serious injury or fatalities," remarked NSW police assistant commissioner David Driver on Wednesday.

Police said they did not immediately pursue the group due to safety concerns but rather found the assembly at a scenic Sydney lookout near the city gardens, at which point they broke up.

Penalties Issued for Content Creator

Later in the week, authorities stated they had issued the US social media influencer known as Sur Ronster, 26, with two traffic infringement notices for careless operation (with no death or previous bodily harm), carrying a penalty of $562 and penalty points each, connected to the bridge ride-out. Officials noted that inquiries were continuing.

The influencer reportedly has over 3.4 million subscribers on YouTube and more than 1.2m on Instagram.

Influencer's Comments

The online figure spoke with a major newspaper recently following the event gained traction on news sites and social media, stating he was sorry for giving "bike life" a bad reputation.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. That was one of the safest gatherings I’ve ever seen," he told the publication. "I am a visitor here, so I’m going to abide by the rules and standards of the city. So when I decided to do a public meeting it was not meant to include a ride-out, it was just to greet people 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, basically, before we’re on the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to go back."

Broader Context on E-Bike Regulation

The spate of e-bikes on streets across the country has prompted increasing demands for stricter rules. A senior government official, Mark Butler, recently said that illegal ebikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Kids have done stupid things on bikes since the invention of the early bicycle [but] the injuries that are presenting at our ERs are truly severe," he stated. "We’ve got to ensure we prevent these things entering the country [and] police are given the powers to crack down, to confiscate them, to destroy them, to destroy them."

NSW reported over two hundred injuries associated with ebikes in 2024. But, in the initial half of the following year, that number jumped to 233 injuries plus four deaths.