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NSW authorities have levied a penalty against an American social media personality and served two driving violation citations for reported negligent driving after a swarm of e-bike riders converged on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the busy commute on a weekday.

The Incident: A Prohibited Ride

A gathering of approximately 40 individuals riding e-bikes and motorcycles proceeded along the bridge’s main deck, where cycling is prohibited. The assembly then turned around and rode through the city’s CBD and a nearby district.

"This had a risk of people to be injured and killed," stated NSW police assistant commissioner the officer on the following day.

Law enforcement said they did not immediately pursue the group due to concerns for public safety but instead located the assembly at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the city gardens, at which point they broke up.

Fines Imposed for Content Creator

On Saturday, police stated they had issued the US social media influencer 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 over five hundred dollars and three demerit points each, in relation to the bridge incident. They added that the investigation is ongoing.

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

Creator's Response

The online figure gave comments to a major newspaper this week following the event spread rapidly on news sites and social media, saying he regretted 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’m coming here as a guest, so I’m going to come here respecting the laws and norms of Sydney. When I decided to do a meet and greet it did not involve a group ride, it was just to greet people near the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, I am to blame we found ourselves on the bridge and I had a decision to make: whether the group completes the entirety of the bridge and comes back, which is a crime. Or we turn around, basically, before entering the bridge. I chose at the time to turn around."

National Debate on E-Bike Regulation

The increase of electric bicycles on streets across the country has sparked increasing demands for stricter rules. The federal health minister, the minister, recently said that illegal ebikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Young people have engaged in stupid things on bikes ever since the penny-farthing [but] the injuries that are coming into our hospital emergency departments are absolutely devastating," he said. "We’ve got to make sure we stop these things entering the country [and] police are given the powers to take strong action, to confiscate them, to crush them, to destroy them."

NSW reported over two hundred injuries related to ebikes in 2024. But, in the first seven months of the following year, that number jumped to 233 injuries plus four fatalities.