🔗 Share this article

New South Wales police have issued a fine against an US-based online influencer and handed out two driving violation citations for reported negligent driving after a large group of e-bike riders gathered on the famous Sydney landmark during the busy commute on Tuesday.

The Event: A Prohibited Ride

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

"This had potential for people to be injured and killed," stated NSW police assistant commissioner David Driver on the following day.

Police said they did not immediately pursue the group out of safety concerns but rather found the assembly at a scenic Sydney lookout near the city gardens, at which point they broke up.

Penalties Issued for Influencer

Later in the week, authorities announced they had served the American online personality known as Sur Ronster, twenty-six, with two traffic infringement notices for careless operation (not involving death or prior injury), with a fine of over five hundred dollars and penalty points per notice, in relation to the bridge incident. Officials noted that inquiries were continuing.

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

Influencer's Comments

The online figure spoke with a major newspaper recently after the incident gained traction on news sites and social media, saying he was sorry for giving "the biking community" a negative image.

"I accept the blame. That was among the safest gatherings I’ve ever seen," he told the publication. "I’m coming here as a guest, so I’m going to come here respecting the rules and standards of the city. 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 did not know the area well, 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, an illegal act. Or we turn around, basically, before we’re on the bridge. I chose at the time to go back."

Broader Context on Electric Bike Rules

The spate of electric bicycles on streets across the country has sparked growing calls for stricter rules. A senior government official, Mark Butler, commented that illegal ebikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Kids have done stupid things on bikes since the invention of the penny-farthing [but] the injuries that are coming into our hospital emergency departments are truly severe," the minister said. "We must ensure we stop these things coming into the country [and] police are given the authority to take strong action, to take them away, to crush them, to dispose of them."

NSW reported 226 injuries related to ebikes in 2024. But, in the initial half of 2025, that number surged to 233 injuries plus four deaths.