🔗 Share this article

New South Wales police have issued a fine against an US-based online influencer and served two driving violation citations for reported reckless operation after a large group of e-bike riders converged on the famous Sydney landmark during peak-hour traffic on Tuesday.

The Incident: An Illegal Gathering

A gathering of approximately 40 people riding electric bikes and motorbikes proceeded along the primary roadway of the bridge, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The riders subsequently reversed direction and traveled through the city’s CBD and Haymarket.

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

Police indicated they did not chase right away the riders out of concerns for public safety but rather found the group at a scenic Sydney lookout near the city gardens, where they dispersed.

Penalties Issued for Content Creator

On Saturday, police stated they had issued the American online personality who goes by Sur Ronster, twenty-six, with two traffic infringement notices for negligent driving (with no death or previous bodily harm), with a penalty of $562 and penalty points each, connected to the bridge ride-out. Officials noted that the investigation is ongoing.

The influencer reportedly has more than 3.4m followers on one platform and over 1.2 million on the social media app.

Influencer's Comments

The online figure spoke with a major newspaper this week after the incident spread rapidly on news sites and social media, saying he regretted giving "bike life" a negative image.

"I accept the blame. It was among the safest ride-outs I have witnessed," he told the publication. "I’m coming here as a guest, 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 ride-out, it was just to say hi near the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, 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, an illegal act. Or we reverse, essentially, before we’re on the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to go back."

National Debate on E-Bike Regulation

The increase of electric bicycles on roads nationwide has sparked increasing demands for stricter rules. The federal health minister, the minister, recently said that illegal ebikes 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 presenting at our hospital emergency departments are truly severe," he said. "We’ve got to ensure we prevent these things coming into the country [and] officers are given the authority to crack down, to take them away, to crush them, to destroy them."

The state recorded 226 injuries associated with electric bikes in the previous year. But, in the first seven months of the following year, that number surged to 233 injuries plus four deaths.