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New South Wales police have issued a fine against an US-based online influencer and served two traffic infringement notices for alleged reckless operation following a large group of e-bike riders gathered on the famous Sydney landmark during the busy commute on a weekday.

The Event: An Illegal Gathering

A group of approximately 40 individuals riding electric bikes and motorbikes travelled along the bridge’s main deck, where cycling is prohibited. The riders subsequently reversed direction and rode through the downtown area and Haymarket.

"This had potential for people to be injured and killed," stated a senior police official David Driver on Wednesday.

Law enforcement said they did not chase right away the riders out of safety concerns but instead located the assembly at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the Botanic Gardens, where they dispersed.

Fines Imposed for Influencer

Later in the week, police announced they had served the US social media influencer known as Sur Ronster, 26, with two violation tickets for careless operation (not involving death or prior injury), carrying a fine of over five hundred dollars and three demerit points each, connected to the bridge ride-out. Officials noted that inquiries were continuing.

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

Creator's Response

The content creator gave comments to a major newspaper recently after the incident gained traction on digital platforms, stating he regretted giving "the biking community" a bad reputation.

"I accept the blame. That was one of the safest ride-outs 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 Sydney. When I decided to do a public meeting it did not involve a ride-out, it was just to greet people under the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, I am to blame we found ourselves on the bridge and I had a decision to make: whether the group completes the entirety of the bridge and comes back, an illegal act. Or we reverse, essentially, before we’re on the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to turn around."

National Debate on Electric Bike Rules

The increase of e-bikes on streets across the country has sparked growing calls for stricter rules. The federal health minister, Mark Butler, commented that illegal ebikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Young people have engaged in stupid things on bikes ever since the penny-farthing [but] the injuries that are coming into our hospital emergency departments are absolutely devastating," he stated. "We must make sure we stop these things entering the country [and] police are granted the authority to crack down, to confiscate them, to destroy them, to destroy them."

NSW reported 226 injuries related to ebikes in 2024. However, in the initial half of the following year, that number surged to 233 injuries plus four deaths.