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New South Wales police have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and handed out two traffic infringement notices for alleged negligent driving following a large group of e-bike riders converged on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during peak-hour traffic on a weekday.

The Incident: A Prohibited Ride

A gathering of approximately 40 people operating e-bikes and motorcycles travelled along the primary roadway of the bridge, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The riders then turned around and rode through the downtown area and a nearby district.

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

Law enforcement indicated they did not immediately pursue the group out of concerns for public safety but instead located the assembly at a scenic Sydney lookout near the city gardens, at which point they broke up.

Penalties Issued for Content Creator

On Saturday, police stated they had issued the American online personality known as Sur Ronster, twenty-six, with two traffic infringement notices for careless operation (with no death or previous bodily harm), carrying a fine of $562 and penalty points each, in relation to the bridge ride-out. Officials noted that inquiries were continuing.

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

Influencer's Comments

The content creator spoke with a local publication recently following the event gained traction on news sites and social media, stating he was sorry for giving "bike life" a negative image.

"I accept the blame. That was one of the safest gatherings I have witnessed," he said. "I am a visitor here, so I’m going to come here respecting the rules and standards of the city. So when I decided to do a public meeting it did not involve a ride-out, it was just to greet people near the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, it was my fault we ended up on the bridge and I had two choices: whether the group rides the full length of the bridge and comes back, an illegal act. Or we turn around, essentially, before we’re on the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to go back."

National Debate on E-Bike Regulation

The spate of e-bikes on roads nationwide has prompted growing calls for regulation. A senior government official, Mark Butler, commented that non-compliant electric bikes were a "total menace 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," the minister stated. "We must ensure we stop these things entering the country [and] police are given the authority to take strong action, to confiscate them, to destroy them, to destroy them."

NSW recorded over two hundred injuries related to ebikes in 2024. But, in the first seven months of the following year, that figure surged to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four fatalities.