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New South Wales authorities have issued a fine against an US-based online influencer and handed out two traffic infringement notices for alleged negligent driving following 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 approximately 40 people riding e-bikes and motorcycles travelled along the bridge’s main deck, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The riders then turned around and rode through the city’s CBD and a nearby district.

"There was potential for serious injury or fatalities," remarked a senior police official David Driver on Wednesday.

Police indicated they did not chase right away the group out of concerns for public safety but instead located the group at a scenic Sydney lookout near the Botanic Gardens, where they dispersed.

Penalties Issued for Influencer

Later in the week, authorities stated they had issued the US social media influencer known as Sur Ronster, twenty-six, with two traffic infringement notices for negligent driving (not involving death or prior injury), with a penalty of over five hundred dollars and penalty points per notice, in relation to the bridge incident. Officials noted that inquiries were continuing.

The influencer reportedly has more than 3.4m followers on YouTube and more than 1.2m on the social media app.

Creator's Response

The online figure gave comments to a major newspaper this week after the incident gained traction on digital platforms, saying he was sorry for giving "bike life" a negative image.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. It was among 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 Sydney. So when I decided to do a public meeting it did not involve a ride-out, it was just to say hi under the bridge."

"I’m unfamiliar with the city, it was my fault we found ourselves on the bridge and I had two choices: whether the group rides the full length of the bridge and comes back, which is a crime. Or we turn around, basically, before we’re on the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to go back."

National Debate on Electric Bike Rules

The increase of e-bikes on roads nationwide has prompted growing calls for stricter rules. A senior government official, Mark Butler, recently said that non-compliant electric bikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Kids have done reckless acts on bikes since the invention of the early bicycle [but] the harm that are presenting at our hospital emergency departments are absolutely devastating," he said. "We must ensure we stop these things entering the country [and] police are given the powers to crack down, to confiscate them, to destroy them, to dispose of them."

The state reported 226 injuries related to electric bikes in 2024. But, in the first seven months of 2025, that number surged to 233 injuries plus four fatalities.