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NSW authorities have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and handed out two driving violation citations for reported reckless operation after a large group of electric bicycle users gathered on the famous Sydney landmark during the busy commute on a weekday.

The Event: An Illegal Gathering

A group of approximately 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," remarked a senior police official David Driver on the following day.

Law enforcement indicated they did not immediately pursue the riders out of safety concerns but instead located the assembly at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the city gardens, at which point they broke up.

Fines Imposed for Content Creator

Later in the week, authorities announced they had served the US social media influencer who goes by Sur Ronster, 26, with two traffic infringement notices for careless operation (with no death or previous bodily harm), with a penalty of over five hundred dollars and three demerit points per notice, in relation to the bridge incident. Officials noted that inquiries were continuing.

The personality reportedly has over 3.4 million subscribers on YouTube and more than 1.2m on Instagram.

Influencer's Comments

The online figure gave comments to a major newspaper recently after the incident spread rapidly on news sites and social media, stating he was sorry for giving "bike life" a negative image.

"I accept the blame. It was one of the safest ride-outs I’ve ever seen," he said. "I am a visitor here, so I’m going 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 greet people near the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, I am to blame we found ourselves on the bridge and I had a decision to make: either the group rides the full length of the bridge and turns around, which is a crime. Or we reverse, essentially, before we’re on the bridge. I chose at the time to go back."

Broader Context on E-Bike Regulation

The spate of e-bikes on roads nationwide has sparked growing calls for regulation. The federal health minister, Mark Butler, recently said 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 early bicycle [but] the injuries that are coming into our hospital emergency departments are truly severe," he said. "We’ve got to ensure we stop these things entering the country [and] police are given the powers to take strong action, to take them away, to crush them, to dispose of them."

The state reported 226 injuries related to ebikes in 2024. But, in the first seven months of 2025, that number jumped to 233 injuries plus four deaths.