🔗 Share this article

NSW police have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and handed out two traffic infringement notices for alleged negligent driving following a swarm of e-bike riders converged on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during peak-hour traffic on a weekday.

The Incident: A Prohibited Ride

A gathering of around 40 people riding e-bikes and motorcycles proceeded along the primary roadway of the bridge, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The assembly subsequently reversed direction and traveled through the downtown area and Haymarket.

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

Police indicated they did not chase right away the riders out of concerns for public safety but instead located the group at a scenic Sydney lookout near the Botanic Gardens, where they dispersed.

Fines Imposed for Influencer

Later in the week, authorities stated they had issued the American online personality known as Sur Ronster, twenty-six, with two violation tickets for negligent driving (not involving death or prior injury), carrying a fine of $562 and penalty points each, in relation to the bridge incident. They added that inquiries were continuing.

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

Creator's Response

The online figure gave comments to a local publication recently after the incident spread rapidly on digital platforms, stating he regretted giving "the biking community" a negative image.

"I accept the blame. It was among the safest ride-outs I’ve ever seen," he said. "I am a visitor here, so I’m going to abide by the laws and norms of the city. So when I decided to do a public meeting it was not meant to include a ride-out, 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: whether the group completes the entirety of the bridge and comes back, an illegal act. Or we turn around, basically, before we’re on the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to go back."

Broader Context on E-Bike Regulation

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

"Kids have done stupid things on bikes ever since the early bicycle [but] the injuries that are presenting at our hospital emergency departments are truly severe," he stated. "We’ve got to ensure we prevent these things coming into the country [and] police are granted the powers to crack down, to confiscate them, to crush them, to destroy them."

NSW reported over two hundred injuries associated with electric bikes in 2024. However, in the initial half of the following year, that number jumped to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four fatalities.