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New South Wales police have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and handed out two driving violation citations for alleged negligent driving following a large group of e-bike riders converged on the famous Sydney landmark during the busy commute on Tuesday.

The Event: A Prohibited Ride

A group of approximately 40 people operating electric bikes and motorbikes travelled along the primary roadway of the bridge, where cycling is prohibited. The riders then turned around and rode through the city’s CBD and Haymarket.

"This had a risk of people to be injured and killed," remarked a senior police official David Driver on Wednesday.

Police said they did not chase right away the riders out of concerns for public safety but instead located the group at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the Botanic Gardens, where they dispersed.

Fines Imposed for Content Creator

Later in the week, authorities stated they had issued the American online personality known as Sur Ronster, 26, with two traffic infringement notices for negligent driving (with no death or previous bodily harm), carrying a fine of $562 and penalty points each, connected to the bridge ride-out. They added that the investigation is ongoing.

The influencer is said to have over 3.4 million subscribers on YouTube and more than 1.2 million on Instagram.

Influencer's Comments

The online figure gave comments to a major newspaper this week following the event spread rapidly on news sites and social media, stating he was sorry for giving "bike life" a bad reputation.

"I accept the blame. That was among the safest gatherings I’ve ever seen," he told the publication. "I am a visitor here, so I’m going to abide by the rules and standards of Sydney. When I decided to do a public meeting it was not meant to include a group ride, it was just to say hi near the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, I am to blame we found ourselves on the bridge and I had two choices: whether the group completes the entirety of the bridge and comes back, an illegal act. Or we turn around, essentially, before entering the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to go back."

Broader Context on E-Bike Regulation

The increase of e-bikes on streets across the country has sparked growing calls for stricter rules. The federal health minister, Mark Butler, recently said that illegal ebikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Kids have done reckless acts on bikes since the invention of the penny-farthing [but] the harm that are presenting at our ERs are truly severe," the minister said. "We’ve got to ensure we stop these things coming into the country [and] police are given the authority to crack down, to take them away, to destroy them, to destroy them."

NSW recorded 226 injuries related to electric bikes in 2024. However, in the first seven months of 2025, that figure jumped to 233 injuries plus four deaths.