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NSW police have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and served two driving violation citations for reported negligent driving after a swarm of electric bicycle users gathered on the famous Sydney landmark during the busy commute on a weekday.

The Incident: An Illegal Gathering

A group of approximately 40 people operating electric bikes and motorbikes travelled along the bridge’s main deck, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The assembly then turned around and traveled through the city’s CBD and Haymarket.

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

Law enforcement said they did not chase right away the riders due to concerns for public safety but rather found the group at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the Botanic Gardens, at which point they broke up.

Fines Imposed for Influencer

On Saturday, authorities announced they had issued the American online personality known as Sur Ronster, 26, with two traffic infringement notices for negligent driving (not involving death or prior injury), carrying a fine of $562 and penalty points each, in relation to the bridge ride-out. They added that the investigation is ongoing.

The influencer reportedly has more than 3.4m followers on YouTube and more than 1.2m on Instagram.

Creator's Response

The online figure gave comments to a major newspaper this week following the event gained traction on digital platforms, stating he regretted giving "the biking community" a negative image.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. It was among the safest gatherings I have witnessed," he said. "I’m coming here as a guest, so I’m going to come here respecting the laws and norms of the city. When I decided to do a meet and greet it was not meant to include a ride-out, it was just to say hi under the bridge."

"I’m unfamiliar with the city, it was my fault we found ourselves 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 turn around, essentially, before entering the bridge. I chose at the time to go back."

Broader Context on Electric Bike Rules

The spate of e-bikes 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."

"Young people have engaged in reckless acts on bikes since the invention of the penny-farthing [but] the harm that are presenting at our hospital emergency departments are truly severe," the minister stated. "We must ensure we prevent these things coming into the country [and] officers are granted the authority to crack down, to confiscate them, to crush them, to dispose of them."

NSW reported over two hundred injuries related to electric bikes in the previous year. But, in the first seven months of 2025, that figure jumped to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four deaths.