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NSW police have issued a fine against an American social media personality and handed out two driving violation citations for alleged negligent driving following a large group of electric bicycle users gathered on the famous Sydney landmark during peak-hour traffic on a weekday.

The Incident: An Illegal Gathering

A gathering of around 40 individuals riding electric bikes and motorbikes travelled along the primary roadway of the bridge, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The assembly 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 the following day.

Law enforcement said they did not immediately pursue the group out of concerns for public safety but rather found the assembly at a scenic Sydney lookout near the Botanic Gardens, at which point they broke up.

Penalties Issued for Influencer

On Saturday, police stated they had served the US social media influencer who goes by Sur Ronster, twenty-six, with two traffic infringement notices for careless operation (not involving death or prior injury), carrying a fine of $562 and three demerit points each, connected to the bridge incident. They added that inquiries were continuing.

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

Creator's Response

The online figure gave comments to a local publication recently following the event spread rapidly on news sites and social media, stating he regretted giving "the biking community" a negative image.

"I accept the blame. It was among the safest ride-outs I’ve ever seen," he said. "I am a visitor here, so I’m going to abide by the rules and standards of the city. 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 two choices: either the group rides the full length of the bridge and comes back, an illegal act. Or we turn around, essentially, before entering the bridge. I chose at the time to turn around."

National Debate on Electric Bike Rules

The increase of e-bikes on roads nationwide has prompted increasing demands for stricter rules. A senior government official, the minister, recently said that non-compliant electric bikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Kids have done stupid things on bikes ever since the penny-farthing [but] the injuries that are coming into our hospital emergency departments are truly severe," he said. "We’ve got to make sure we stop these things coming into the country [and] police are given the powers to take strong action, to take them away, to crush them, to dispose of them."

NSW reported over two hundred injuries related to electric bikes in 2024. But, in the initial half of 2025, that figure jumped to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four deaths.