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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 after a swarm of e-bike riders converged on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the busy commute on a weekday.

The Incident: An Illegal Gathering

A gathering of around 40 individuals operating electric bikes and motorbikes proceeded along the primary roadway of the bridge, where cycling is prohibited. The assembly then turned around and rode through the downtown area and Haymarket.

"There was a risk of serious injury or fatalities," remarked NSW police assistant commissioner the officer on Wednesday.

Law enforcement said they did not immediately pursue the group due to concerns for public safety but rather found the group at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the Botanic Gardens, at which point they broke up.

Penalties Issued for Content Creator

On Saturday, police announced they had issued the American online personality known as Sur Ronster, 26, with two traffic infringement notices for negligent driving (not involving death or prior injury), carrying a fine of $562 and three demerit points per notice, in relation to the bridge incident. Officials noted that the investigation is ongoing.

The personality is said to have more than 3.4m subscribers on YouTube and over 1.2m on the social media app.

Creator's Response

The online figure spoke with a major newspaper recently following the event spread rapidly on news sites and social media, saying he was sorry for giving "the biking community" a negative image.

"I accept the blame. It was among the safest gatherings I’ve ever seen," he said. "I am a visitor here, and I intend to come here respecting the rules and standards of Sydney. So when I decided to do a public meeting it was not meant to include a ride-out, 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 two choices: whether the group completes the entirety of the bridge and comes back, which is a crime. Or we turn around, essentially, before entering the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to turn around."

National Debate on E-Bike Regulation

The increase of electric bicycles 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 reckless acts on bikes since the invention of the early bicycle [but] the harm that are coming into our ERs are truly severe," he said. "We’ve got to ensure we stop these things coming into the country [and] police are given the authority to take strong action, to take them away, to destroy them, to destroy them."

NSW recorded 226 injuries related to electric bikes in 2024. But, in the first seven months of the following year, that number surged to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four deaths.