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

The Event: A Prohibited Ride

A group of approximately 40 individuals riding electric bikes and motorbikes travelled along the bridge’s main deck, where cycling is prohibited. The assembly subsequently reversed direction and rode through the city’s CBD and a nearby district.

"This had 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 a scenic Sydney lookout near the Botanic Gardens, at which point they broke up.

Penalties Issued for Influencer

Later in the week, authorities announced they had issued the US social media influencer known as Sur Ronster, twenty-six, with two traffic infringement notices for careless operation (with no death or previous bodily harm), carrying a fine of over five hundred dollars and penalty points per notice, in relation to the bridge incident. They added that the investigation is ongoing.

The influencer reportedly has more than 3.4m subscribers on one platform and more than 1.2 million on Instagram.

Influencer's Comments

The content creator spoke with a local publication this week after the incident spread rapidly on digital platforms, stating he was sorry for giving "the biking community" a negative image.

"I accept the blame. It was one of the safest gatherings I’ve ever seen," he said. "I am a visitor here, and I intend to come here respecting the laws and norms of Sydney. So when I decided to do a public meeting it was not meant to include a group ride, it was just to say hi near the bridge."

"I’m unfamiliar with the city, it was my fault we ended up on the bridge and I had a decision to make: either the group rides the full length of the bridge and comes back, an illegal act. Or we reverse, basically, before we’re on the bridge. I chose at the time to go back."

Broader Context on E-Bike Regulation

The increase of e-bikes on roads nationwide has prompted growing calls for stricter rules. The federal health minister, the minister, commented that non-compliant electric bikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Young people have engaged in stupid things on bikes since the invention of the penny-farthing [but] the harm that are presenting at our hospital emergency departments are absolutely devastating," he said. "We’ve got to make sure we prevent these things entering the country [and] officers are given the powers to take strong action, to take them away, to crush them, to destroy them."

The state recorded over two hundred injuries associated with ebikes in 2024. However, in the first seven months of 2025, that figure surged to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four fatalities.