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New South Wales police have issued a fine against an US-based online influencer and handed out two driving violation citations for reported negligent driving following a large group of e-bike riders gathered on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the busy commute on Tuesday.

The Incident: A Prohibited Ride

A gathering of approximately 40 individuals 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 Haymarket.

"This had potential for serious injury or fatalities," remarked a senior police official the officer on the following day.

Law enforcement indicated they did not immediately pursue the riders due to safety concerns but instead located the assembly at a scenic Sydney lookout near the city gardens, where they dispersed.

Penalties Issued for Influencer

Later in the week, police stated they had served the American online personality who goes by Sur Ronster, twenty-six, with two violation tickets for careless operation (with no death or previous bodily harm), carrying a fine of $562 and three demerit points each, in relation to the bridge ride-out. They added that the investigation is ongoing.

The personality reportedly has more than 3.4 million followers on YouTube and over 1.2 million on Instagram.

Influencer's Comments

The content creator spoke with a major newspaper this week after the incident gained traction on digital platforms, saying he was sorry for giving "bike life" a negative image.

"I accept the blame. That was one of the safest gatherings I’ve ever seen," he said. "I’m coming here as a guest, so I’m going to abide by the laws and norms of Sydney. When I decided to do a public meeting it was not meant to include a ride-out, it was just to greet people under the bridge."

"I’m unfamiliar with the city, it was my fault we found ourselves on the bridge and I had a decision to make: either the group completes the entirety of the bridge and comes back, which is a crime. 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 increase of electric bicycles on roads nationwide has sparked increasing demands for stricter rules. A senior government official, Mark Butler, commented that illegal ebikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Kids have done reckless acts on bikes since the invention of the early bicycle [but] the injuries that are coming into our hospital emergency departments are absolutely devastating," he stated. "We’ve got to ensure we stop these things entering the country [and] officers are granted the powers to take strong action, to take them away, to destroy them, to destroy them."

NSW reported 226 injuries related to electric bikes in 2024. But, in the first seven months of the following year, that figure surged to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four deaths.