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NSW authorities have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and served two driving violation citations for reported negligent driving after a large group of electric bicycle users gathered on the famous Sydney landmark during peak-hour traffic on a weekday.

The Incident: An Illegal Gathering

A group of approximately 40 individuals operating electric bikes and motorbikes proceeded along the primary roadway of the bridge, where cycling is prohibited. The assembly subsequently reversed direction and traveled through the downtown area and a nearby district.

"This had a risk of serious injury or fatalities," remarked a senior police official the officer on Wednesday.

Law enforcement indicated they did not immediately pursue the riders due to safety concerns but rather found the group at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the Botanic Gardens, at which point they broke up.

Penalties Issued for Content Creator

Later in the week, authorities stated they had issued the US social media influencer who goes by Sur Ronster, 26, with two traffic infringement notices for negligent driving (not involving death or prior injury), carrying a penalty of over five hundred dollars and penalty points each, connected to the bridge incident. Officials noted that the investigation is ongoing.

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

Creator's Response

The content creator spoke with a major newspaper recently following the event gained traction on digital platforms, stating he was sorry for giving "bike life" a negative image.

"I accept the blame. That was one of the safest gatherings I have witnessed," he told the publication. "I am a visitor here, and I intend to abide by the rules and standards of the city. When I decided to do a meet and greet it did not involve a ride-out, it was just to greet people under the bridge."

"I’m unfamiliar with the city, I am to blame we ended up on the bridge and I had two choices: whether the group completes the entirety of the bridge and comes back, which is a crime. Or we reverse, basically, before entering the bridge. I chose at the time to go back."

National Debate on E-Bike Regulation

The spate of e-bikes on streets across the country has prompted growing calls for regulation. A senior government official, Mark Butler, recently said that non-compliant electric bikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Kids have done stupid things on bikes ever since the early bicycle [but] the harm that are coming into our ERs are absolutely devastating," the minister said. "We’ve got to make sure we prevent these things coming into the country [and] police are given the powers to take strong action, to take them away, to destroy them, to destroy them."

The state recorded over two hundred injuries related to ebikes in 2024. However, in the initial half of 2025, that number jumped to 233 injuries plus four fatalities.