🔗 Share this article

New South Wales authorities have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and handed out two driving violation citations for reported negligent driving after a swarm of e-bike riders converged on the famous Sydney landmark during peak-hour traffic on Tuesday.

The Event: A Prohibited Ride

A gathering 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 a nearby district.

"There was a risk of people to be injured and killed," stated NSW police assistant commissioner the officer on Wednesday.

Law enforcement indicated they did not immediately pursue the riders out of safety concerns but instead located the assembly at a scenic Sydney lookout near the Botanic Gardens, where they dispersed.

Fines Imposed for Influencer

Later in the week, authorities announced they had issued the US social media influencer who goes by Sur Ronster, 26, with two violation tickets for careless operation (with no death or previous bodily harm), with a penalty of $562 and three demerit points per notice, in relation to the bridge ride-out. Officials noted that inquiries were continuing.

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

Influencer's Comments

The content creator gave comments to a local publication this week following the event 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 ride-outs I’ve ever seen," he said. "I am a visitor here, so I’m going to come here respecting the rules and standards of Sydney. When I decided to do a meet and greet it was not meant to include a group ride, it was just to greet people near the bridge."

"I’m unfamiliar with the city, I am to blame 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, essentially, before entering the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to go back."

Broader Context on Electric Bike Rules

The spate of e-bikes on roads nationwide has prompted increasing demands for regulation. A senior government official, the minister, commented that non-compliant electric bikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Kids have done stupid things on bikes since the invention of the penny-farthing [but] the injuries that are coming into our ERs are truly severe," he said. "We must ensure we prevent these things entering the country [and] officers are granted the powers to crack down, to confiscate them, to destroy them, to destroy them."

The state reported over two hundred injuries related to electric bikes in the previous year. But, in the first seven months of the following year, that figure jumped to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four fatalities.