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New South Wales police have issued a fine against an US-based online influencer and handed out two traffic infringement notices for reported negligent driving after a swarm of e-bike riders gathered on the famous Sydney landmark during peak-hour traffic on a weekday.

The Incident: An Illegal Gathering

A group of approximately 40 individuals operating e-bikes and motorcycles travelled along the bridge’s main deck, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The assembly subsequently reversed direction and traveled through the downtown area and Haymarket.

"This had potential for people to be injured and killed," remarked NSW police assistant commissioner David Driver on the following day.

Police indicated they did not immediately pursue the group out of 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 Influencer

On Saturday, authorities announced 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 $562 and penalty points per notice, in relation to the bridge incident. Officials noted that inquiries were continuing.

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

Influencer's Comments

The online figure gave comments to a local publication this week following the event gained traction on news sites and social media, stating he regretted giving "bike life" a negative image.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. That was one of the safest gatherings I have witnessed," he said. "I am a visitor here, and I intend to come here respecting the rules and standards of the city. When I decided to do a public meeting it was not meant to include a group ride, 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: either the group completes the entirety of the bridge and turns around, which is a crime. Or we reverse, essentially, before entering the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to go back."

National Debate on Electric Bike Rules

The increase of electric bicycles on roads nationwide has prompted growing calls for regulation. A senior government official, the minister, recently said that non-compliant electric bikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Kids have done reckless acts on bikes ever since the penny-farthing [but] the injuries that are coming into our ERs are absolutely devastating," the minister said. "We’ve got to make sure we prevent these things entering the country [and] police are granted the authority to crack down, to confiscate them, to destroy them, to dispose of them."

The state recorded over two hundred injuries associated with electric bikes in 2024. But, in the first seven months of the following year, that figure jumped to 233 injuries plus four fatalities.