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NSW police have issued a fine against an US-based online influencer and handed out two traffic infringement notices for alleged reckless operation after a large group of electric bicycle users converged on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the busy commute on Tuesday.

The Event: A Prohibited Ride

A gathering of approximately 40 individuals riding electric bikes and motorbikes proceeded along the primary roadway of the bridge, where cycling is prohibited. The riders then turned around and traveled through the city’s CBD and Haymarket.

"There was potential for people to be injured and killed," stated NSW police assistant commissioner David Driver on Wednesday.

Police said they did not chase right away the riders due to safety concerns but rather found the assembly at a scenic Sydney lookout near the Botanic Gardens, where they dispersed.

Fines Imposed for Influencer

Later in the week, police stated they had issued the US social media influencer who goes by Sur Ronster, 26, with two violation tickets for careless operation (with no death or previous bodily harm), with a penalty of over five hundred dollars and penalty points per notice, connected to the bridge ride-out. Officials noted that inquiries were continuing.

The personality is said to have more than 3.4m followers on YouTube and over 1.2m on the social media app.

Creator's Response

The content creator gave comments to a major newspaper recently after the incident spread rapidly on digital platforms, saying he regretted giving "bike life" a negative image.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. It was one of the safest gatherings I have witnessed," he told the publication. "I am a visitor here, and I intend to come here respecting the rules and standards of the city. When I decided to do a public meeting it did not involve a ride-out, it was just to say hi near the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, it was my fault we ended up on the bridge and I had a decision to make: whether the group completes the entirety of the bridge and turns around, which is a crime. Or we turn around, essentially, before we’re on the bridge. I chose at the time to go back."

National Debate on Electric Bike Rules

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

"Kids have done reckless acts on bikes since the invention of the penny-farthing [but] the injuries that are presenting at our ERs are absolutely devastating," he stated. "We’ve got to make sure we stop these things coming into the country [and] officers are granted the authority to crack down, to take them away, to crush them, to dispose of them."

NSW recorded 226 injuries related to electric bikes in 2024. But, in the first seven months of 2025, that number surged to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four deaths.