🔗 Share this article

New South Wales police have issued a fine against an US-based online influencer and handed out two driving violation citations for reported reckless operation following a large group of electric bicycle users gathered on the famous Sydney landmark during the busy commute on Tuesday.

The Incident: A Prohibited Ride

A gathering of approximately 40 people riding electric bikes and motorbikes travelled along the bridge’s main deck, where cycling is prohibited. The riders then turned around and rode through the city’s CBD and Haymarket.

"There was a risk of serious injury or fatalities," remarked a senior police official David Driver on the following day.

Police indicated they did not chase right away the group due to concerns for public safety but instead located the assembly at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the Botanic Gardens, where they dispersed.

Penalties Issued for Influencer

On Saturday, police announced they had served the American online personality who goes by Sur Ronster, 26, with two traffic infringement notices for careless operation (not involving death or prior injury), with a penalty of over five hundred dollars and three demerit points per notice, connected to the bridge incident. They added that inquiries were continuing.

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

Influencer's Comments

The content creator spoke with a local publication recently following the event spread rapidly on digital platforms, stating he regretted giving "the biking community" a negative image.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. It was among the safest ride-outs I’ve ever seen," he said. "I’m coming here as a guest, and I intend to abide by the laws and norms of Sydney. So when I decided to do a meet and greet it did not involve a group ride, it was just to greet people under the bridge."

"I’m unfamiliar with the city, it was my fault we ended up on the bridge and I had a decision to make: whether the group completes the entirety of the bridge and turns around, an illegal act. Or we turn around, basically, before entering the bridge. I chose at the time to turn around."

National Debate on E-Bike Regulation

The increase of electric bicycles on roads nationwide has sparked growing calls for regulation. The federal health minister, the minister, recently said that illegal ebikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Kids have done stupid things on bikes ever since the penny-farthing [but] the injuries that are coming into our ERs are absolutely devastating," the minister said. "We must ensure we prevent these things coming into the country [and] police are given the authority to take strong action, to confiscate them, to crush them, to destroy them."

The state recorded over two hundred injuries related to electric bikes in the previous year. However, in the first seven months of the following year, that number jumped to 233 injuries plus four deaths.