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NSW police have issued a fine against an US-based online influencer and handed out two traffic infringement notices for reported negligent driving following a swarm of e-bike riders gathered on the famous Sydney landmark during peak-hour traffic on Tuesday.

The Incident: A Prohibited Ride

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

"There was potential for people to be injured and killed," stated a senior police official the officer on the following day.

Police indicated they did not immediately pursue the riders out of safety concerns but rather found the assembly at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the Botanic Gardens, at which point they broke up.

Penalties Issued for Content Creator

Later in the week, police stated they had issued the American online personality known as Sur Ronster, twenty-six, with two violation tickets for careless operation (not involving death or prior injury), with a penalty of over five hundred dollars and three demerit points each, in relation to the bridge ride-out. They added that the investigation is ongoing.

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

Influencer's Comments

The content creator gave comments to a local publication recently following the event gained traction on news sites and social media, stating he was sorry for giving "bike life" a bad reputation.

"I accept the blame. That was among the safest ride-outs I’ve ever seen," he told the publication. "I’m coming here as a guest, so I’m going to come here respecting the laws and norms of Sydney. So when I decided to do a meet and greet it did not involve a ride-out, it was just to say hi near the bridge."

"I’m unfamiliar with the city, 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 comes back, an illegal act. Or we reverse, essentially, before we’re on the bridge. I chose at the time to turn around."

National Debate on E-Bike Regulation

The increase of e-bikes on roads nationwide has sparked growing calls for stricter rules. A senior government official, Mark Butler, commented that non-compliant electric bikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Young people have engaged in stupid things on bikes since the invention of the early bicycle [but] the injuries that are presenting at our ERs are absolutely devastating," he stated. "We must make sure we stop these things coming into the country [and] police are given the powers to crack down, to take them away, to crush them, to dispose of them."

The state reported 226 injuries associated with ebikes in 2024. However, in the initial half of 2025, that number surged to 233 injuries plus four fatalities.