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NSW authorities have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and served two traffic infringement notices for reported reckless operation following a large group of electric bicycle users converged on the famous Sydney landmark during peak-hour traffic on Tuesday.

The Event: An Illegal Gathering

A gathering of approximately 40 individuals riding e-bikes and motorcycles travelled along the primary roadway of the bridge, where cycling is prohibited. The assembly subsequently reversed direction and rode through the city’s CBD and Haymarket.

"This had potential for serious injury or fatalities," remarked a senior police official David Driver on the following day.

Police indicated they did not chase right away the riders due to safety concerns but instead located the assembly 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 served the American online personality known as 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, in relation to the bridge incident. They added that inquiries were continuing.

The personality is said to have more than 3.4m followers on YouTube and more than 1.2 million on Instagram.

Influencer's Comments

The online figure spoke with a local publication this week following the event spread rapidly on news sites and social media, saying he regretted giving "bike life" a bad reputation.

"I accept the blame. It was one of the safest ride-outs 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 public meeting it was not meant to include a group ride, it was just to greet people under 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 comes back, an illegal act. Or we turn around, essentially, before entering the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to go back."

National Debate on Electric Bike Rules

The spate of electric bicycles on roads nationwide has prompted increasing demands for regulation. 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 harm that are coming into our hospital emergency departments are truly severe," the minister stated. "We must make sure we stop these things coming into the country [and] officers are given the authority to take strong action, to confiscate them, to crush them, to dispose of them."

NSW recorded 226 injuries associated with ebikes in 2024. However, in the initial half of 2025, that number jumped to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four fatalities.