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New South Wales authorities have issued a fine against an US-based online influencer and served two traffic infringement notices for alleged reckless operation after a swarm of electric bicycle users gathered on the famous Sydney landmark during peak-hour traffic on Tuesday.

The Event: An Illegal Gathering

A gathering of around 40 people operating electric bikes and motorbikes travelled along the bridge’s main deck, where cycling is prohibited. The riders then turned around and rode through the city’s CBD and a nearby district.

"There was potential for people to be injured and killed," remarked NSW police assistant commissioner the officer on Wednesday.

Police said they did not chase right away the group out of concerns for public safety but rather found the group at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the city gardens, where they dispersed.

Fines Imposed for Influencer

On Saturday, police announced they had served the American online personality who goes by Sur Ronster, twenty-six, with two traffic infringement notices for negligent driving (with no death or previous bodily harm), with a fine of $562 and penalty points each, in relation to the bridge ride-out. Officials noted that the investigation is ongoing.

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

Creator's Response

The content creator spoke with a local publication this week after the incident gained traction on news sites and social media, saying he regretted giving "bike life" a negative image.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. That was one of the safest gatherings I have witnessed," he told the publication. "I am a visitor here, so I’m going to abide by the rules and standards of Sydney. When I decided to do a public meeting it did not involve a ride-out, it was just to say hi under the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, it was my fault we found ourselves on the bridge and I had two choices: either the group rides the full length of the bridge and comes back, which is a crime. Or we reverse, basically, before entering the bridge. I chose at the time to turn around."

National Debate on Electric Bike Rules

The spate of e-bikes on streets across the country has prompted increasing demands for stricter rules. The federal health minister, the minister, commented that non-compliant electric bikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Young people have engaged in reckless acts on bikes ever since the penny-farthing [but] the injuries that are coming into our hospital emergency departments are truly severe," he stated. "We must ensure we stop these things entering the country [and] officers are granted the authority to crack down, to take them away, to crush them, to destroy them."

The state reported 226 injuries related to electric bikes in 2024. But, in the initial half of the following year, that number surged to 233 injuries plus four fatalities.