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New South Wales police have levied a penalty against an American social media personality and served two traffic infringement notices for alleged negligent driving after a swarm of electric bicycle users gathered on the famous Sydney landmark during the busy commute on a weekday.

The Event: An Illegal Gathering

A group of approximately 40 people riding e-bikes and motorcycles travelled along the primary roadway of the bridge, where cycling is prohibited. The riders then turned around and rode through the downtown area and Haymarket.

"There was a risk of serious injury or fatalities," stated a senior police official the officer on Wednesday.

Police indicated they did not immediately pursue the riders out of concerns for public safety but rather found the assembly at a scenic Sydney lookout near the city gardens, where they dispersed.

Penalties Issued for Influencer

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

The influencer reportedly has over 3.4 million followers on YouTube and more than 1.2 million on the social media app.

Creator's Response

The content creator spoke with a major newspaper recently after the incident spread rapidly on news sites and social media, saying he was sorry for giving "bike life" a negative image.

"I accept the blame. That was one of the safest gatherings I have witnessed," he said. "I’m coming here as a guest, and I intend 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 group ride, it was just to greet people near the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, I am to blame we ended up on the bridge and I had a decision to make: whether the group rides the full length of the bridge and comes back, an illegal act. Or we turn around, basically, before entering the bridge. I chose at the time to go back."

Broader Context on E-Bike Regulation

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

"Young people have engaged in stupid things on bikes ever since the early bicycle [but] the injuries that are coming into our hospital emergency departments are absolutely devastating," the minister said. "We must make sure we stop these things coming into the country [and] officers are given the powers to take strong action, to confiscate them, to crush them, to destroy them."

The state recorded 226 injuries related to ebikes in 2024. But, in the initial half of the following year, that number jumped to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four deaths.