🔗 Share this article

New South Wales police have levied a penalty against an US-based online influencer and served two traffic infringement notices for alleged negligent driving after a swarm of e-bike riders converged on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the busy commute on Tuesday.

The Incident: An Illegal Gathering

A gathering of approximately 40 people 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," stated a senior police official the officer on the following day.

Police indicated they did not immediately pursue the riders out of safety concerns but instead located the assembly at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the Botanic Gardens, where they dispersed.

Penalties Issued for Content Creator

Later in the week, police announced they had issued the American online personality known as Sur Ronster, 26, with two violation tickets for careless operation (not involving death or prior injury), carrying a penalty of over five hundred dollars and three demerit points per notice, connected to the bridge incident. Officials noted that the investigation is ongoing.

The personality reportedly has over 3.4 million subscribers on one platform and more than 1.2 million on the social media app.

Influencer's Comments

The content creator gave comments to a major newspaper recently after the incident gained traction on news sites and social media, stating he regretted giving "bike life" a negative image.

"I accept the blame. That was among the safest gatherings I have witnessed," he told the publication. "I am a visitor here, and I intend to come here respecting the laws and norms of Sydney. When I decided to do a public meeting it did not involve a ride-out, it was just to say hi near the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, it was my fault we found ourselves on the bridge and I had a decision to make: whether the group completes the entirety of the bridge and comes back, which is a crime. Or we turn around, basically, before we’re on the bridge. I chose at the time to turn around."

Broader Context on E-Bike Regulation

The spate of e-bikes on streets across the country has sparked growing calls for stricter rules. The federal health minister, the minister, commented 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 injuries that are coming into our ERs are absolutely devastating," he stated. "We must make sure we prevent these things entering the country [and] officers are granted the powers to crack down, to take them away, to destroy them, to dispose of them."

NSW reported 226 injuries related to electric bikes in the previous year. However, in the initial half of the following year, that figure jumped to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four fatalities.