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New South Wales police have levied a penalty against an American social media personality and served two driving violation citations for reported reckless operation after a large group of e-bike riders gathered on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the busy commute on a weekday.

The Incident: A Prohibited Ride

A group of approximately 40 individuals operating electric bikes and motorbikes travelled along the primary roadway of the bridge, where cycling is prohibited. The riders then turned around and rode through the downtown area and a nearby district.

"This had a risk of people to be injured and killed," stated a senior police official the officer on Wednesday.

Police indicated they did not chase right away the riders due to concerns for public safety but instead located the assembly at a scenic Sydney lookout near the city gardens, at which point they broke up.

Fines Imposed for Content Creator

Later in the week, authorities announced they had issued the US social media influencer who goes by Sur Ronster, 26, with two traffic infringement notices for careless operation (with no death or previous bodily harm), carrying a penalty of over five hundred dollars and three demerit points per notice, connected to the bridge ride-out. Officials noted that inquiries were continuing.

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

Creator's Response

The online figure gave comments to a local publication recently following the event gained traction on digital platforms, stating he was sorry for giving "the biking community" a bad reputation.

"I accept the blame. That was among the safest ride-outs I’ve ever seen," he told the publication. "I am a visitor here, so I’m going to come here respecting the laws and norms 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 found ourselves on the bridge and I had two choices: whether the group completes the entirety of the bridge and comes back, which is a crime. Or we turn around, essentially, before we’re on the bridge. I chose at the time to go back."

Broader Context on E-Bike Regulation

The spate of e-bikes on roads nationwide has prompted growing calls 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 ever since the early bicycle [but] the harm that are coming into our ERs are absolutely devastating," he said. "We must ensure we stop these things entering the country [and] officers are given the powers to take strong action, to confiscate them, to crush them, to destroy them."

NSW recorded 226 injuries related to ebikes in 2024. But, in the initial half of the following year, that number surged to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four fatalities.