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New South Wales police have issued a fine against an American social media personality and served two driving violation citations for reported negligent driving following a swarm of e-bike riders gathered on the famous Sydney landmark during the busy commute on a weekday.

The Incident: An Illegal Gathering

A group of approximately 40 people operating electric bikes and motorbikes travelled along the primary roadway of the bridge, where cycling is prohibited. The riders subsequently reversed direction and rode through the downtown area and a nearby district.

"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 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

Later in the week, police announced they had issued the US social media influencer who goes by Sur Ronster, 26, with two violation tickets for careless operation (with no death or previous bodily harm), carrying a penalty of over five hundred dollars and penalty points each, connected to the bridge incident. They added that the investigation is ongoing.

The influencer reportedly has more than 3.4 million subscribers on YouTube and more than 1.2m 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 "bike life" a bad reputation.

"I accept the blame. It was among the safest gatherings I have witnessed," he said. "I’m coming here as a guest, and I intend to come here respecting the rules and standards 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 near the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, it was my fault we found ourselves on the bridge and I had two choices: whether the group completes the entirety of the bridge and turns around, an illegal act. Or we reverse, essentially, before we’re on the bridge. I chose at the time to turn around."

National Debate on Electric Bike Rules

The spate of e-bikes on roads nationwide has prompted increasing demands for regulation. A senior government official, the minister, commented that non-compliant electric bikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Young people have engaged in stupid things on bikes ever since the early bicycle [but] the injuries that are presenting at our ERs are absolutely devastating," the minister said. "We’ve got to ensure we prevent these things coming into the country [and] police are given the authority to crack down, to confiscate them, to crush them, to destroy them."

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