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NSW police have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and handed out two driving violation citations for alleged reckless operation after a swarm of e-bike riders gathered on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during peak-hour traffic on Tuesday.

The Event: An Illegal Gathering

A group of around 40 people riding electric bikes and motorbikes proceeded along the primary roadway of the bridge, where cycling is prohibited. The riders subsequently reversed direction and rode through the city’s CBD and Haymarket.

"This had a risk of serious injury or fatalities," remarked NSW police assistant commissioner David Driver on the following day.

Police indicated they did not chase right away the riders out of concerns for public safety but instead located the group at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the Botanic Gardens, at which point they broke up.

Penalties Issued for Influencer

On Saturday, police announced they had issued the US social media influencer who goes by Sur Ronster, 26, with two traffic infringement notices for negligent driving (with no death or previous bodily harm), with a fine of over five hundred dollars and three demerit points per notice, connected to the bridge ride-out. They added that the investigation is ongoing.

The influencer is said to have more than 3.4 million followers on one platform and more than 1.2m on the social media app.

Influencer's Comments

The online figure gave comments to a major newspaper recently after the incident gained traction on news sites and social media, saying he was sorry for giving "bike life" a bad reputation.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. It was one of the safest gatherings I have witnessed," he told the publication. "I’m coming here as a guest, and I intend to come here respecting the laws and norms of the city. When I decided to do a meet and greet it did not involve a group ride, it was just to say hi under the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, I am to blame 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, 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 spate of electric bicycles on roads nationwide has sparked increasing demands for stricter rules. A senior government official, the minister, commented that illegal ebikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Kids have done stupid things on bikes since the invention of the early bicycle [but] the harm that are presenting at our hospital emergency departments are truly severe," the minister stated. "We’ve got to ensure we prevent these things coming into the country [and] officers are granted the powers to take strong action, to confiscate them, to destroy them, to destroy them."

NSW reported 226 injuries related to electric bikes in the previous year. However, in the initial half of 2025, that figure surged to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four fatalities.