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NSW police have issued a fine against an American social media personality and served two driving violation citations for reported negligent driving following a swarm of electric bicycle users converged on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during peak-hour traffic on Tuesday.

The Incident: A Prohibited Ride

A gathering of around 40 people operating e-bikes and motorcycles travelled along the primary roadway of the bridge, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The riders 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.

Police said they did not immediately pursue the group due to safety concerns but rather found the group at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the Botanic Gardens, where they dispersed.

Fines Imposed for Content Creator

Later in the week, authorities announced they had issued the US social media influencer known as Sur Ronster, 26, with two violation tickets for careless operation (not involving death or prior injury), carrying a penalty of $562 and three demerit points per notice, in relation to the bridge ride-out. Officials noted that inquiries were continuing.

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

Creator's Response

The online figure gave comments to a local publication this week following the event spread rapidly on news sites and social media, stating he was sorry for giving "bike life" a bad reputation.

"I accept the blame. That was one of the safest gatherings I’ve ever seen," he said. "I’m coming here as a guest, so I’m going to abide by the rules and standards of the city. So when I decided to do a meet and greet it did not involve a group ride, it was just to say hi near the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, I am to blame we ended up on the bridge and I had two choices: either the group rides the full length of the bridge and turns around, which is a crime. Or we turn around, basically, before entering the bridge. I chose at the time to go back."

National Debate on Electric Bike Rules

The spate of e-bikes on streets across the country has sparked increasing demands for stricter rules. The federal health minister, Mark Butler, commented that illegal ebikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Young people have engaged in stupid things on bikes ever since the penny-farthing [but] the injuries that are presenting at our hospital emergency departments are truly severe," the minister stated. "We’ve got to make sure we prevent these things entering the country [and] officers are granted the authority to crack down, to confiscate them, to crush them, to destroy them."

The state reported 226 injuries associated with electric bikes in 2024. However, in the first seven months of 2025, that number surged to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four fatalities.