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New South Wales authorities have levied a penalty against an American social media personality and handed out two traffic infringement notices for alleged negligent driving following a swarm of electric bicycle users gathered on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the busy commute on a weekday.

The Incident: An Illegal Gathering

A group of around 40 individuals operating e-bikes and motorcycles proceeded along the primary roadway of the bridge, where cycling is prohibited. The assembly subsequently reversed direction and traveled through the city’s CBD and a nearby district.

"There was a risk of people to be injured and killed," remarked NSW police assistant commissioner David Driver on Wednesday.

Law enforcement 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, where they dispersed.

Fines Imposed for Influencer

Later in the week, authorities stated they had served the American online personality known as Sur Ronster, twenty-six, with two traffic infringement notices for negligent driving (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 ride-out. They added that the investigation is ongoing.

The influencer reportedly has over 3.4 million followers on one platform and over 1.2 million on the social media app.

Creator's Response

The content creator gave comments to a local publication recently following the event gained traction on news sites and social media, stating he regretted giving "bike life" a bad reputation.

"I accept the blame. That was one of the safest ride-outs I’ve ever seen," he said. "I am a visitor here, and I intend to abide by the laws and norms of the city. When I decided to do a public meeting it did not involve a group ride, it was just to say hi under the bridge."

"I’m unfamiliar with the city, I am to blame we found ourselves on the bridge and I had two choices: either the group rides the full length of the bridge and turns around, which is a crime. Or we reverse, basically, before entering 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 sparked growing calls for stricter rules. The federal health minister, 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 penny-farthing [but] the harm that are coming into our ERs are truly severe," the minister said. "We must make sure we stop these things entering the country [and] officers are granted the authority to take strong action, to confiscate them, to destroy them, to destroy them."

The state recorded 226 injuries related to ebikes in 2024. But, in the first seven months of the following year, that figure jumped to 233 injuries plus four deaths.