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New South Wales authorities have issued a fine against an American social media personality and handed out two traffic infringement notices for alleged reckless operation following a large group of electric bicycle users gathered on the famous Sydney landmark during the busy commute on Tuesday.

The Event: An Illegal Gathering

A group of around 40 people operating electric bikes and motorbikes travelled along the primary roadway of the bridge, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The riders then turned around and traveled through the city’s CBD and Haymarket.

"This had potential for people to be injured and killed," stated NSW police assistant commissioner the officer on Wednesday.

Police said they did not immediately pursue the riders due to concerns for public safety but instead located the group at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the city gardens, at which point they broke up.

Penalties Issued for Content Creator

Later in the week, police announced they had issued the American online personality who goes by Sur Ronster, twenty-six, with two violation tickets for negligent driving (not involving death or prior injury), with a fine of $562 and three demerit points per notice, connected to the bridge incident. They added that the investigation is ongoing.

The influencer is said to have over 3.4 million followers on YouTube and over 1.2 million on the social media app.

Creator's Response

The content creator gave comments to a major newspaper recently following the event gained traction on news sites and social media, saying he was sorry for giving "the biking community" a bad reputation.

"I accept the blame. It was one of the safest ride-outs I have witnessed," 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 meet and greet it did not involve a group ride, it was just to greet people under the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, I am to blame we ended up on the bridge and I had a decision to make: either the group rides the full length of the bridge and turns around, an illegal act. Or we turn around, basically, before we’re on the bridge. I chose at the time to go back."

National Debate on Electric Bike Rules

The spate of e-bikes on streets across the country has prompted growing calls for stricter rules. A senior government official, the minister, commented that illegal ebikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Young people have engaged in stupid things on bikes since the invention of the penny-farthing [but] the harm that are coming into our ERs are truly severe," he stated. "We must ensure we prevent these things coming into the country [and] officers are given the authority to take strong action, to take them away, to crush them, to destroy them."

NSW recorded 226 injuries associated with electric bikes in 2024. But, in the initial half of the following year, that number surged to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four fatalities.