🔗 Share this article

NSW authorities have issued a fine against an American social media personality and handed out two driving violation citations for reported negligent driving following a swarm of electric bicycle users gathered on the famous Sydney landmark during peak-hour traffic 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 riders then turned around and rode through the downtown area and a nearby district.

"There was a risk of serious injury or fatalities," stated a senior police official the officer on the following day.

Law enforcement indicated they did not chase right away the group due to concerns for public safety but instead located the assembly at a scenic Sydney lookout near the Botanic 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 (with no death or previous bodily harm), carrying a fine of $562 and penalty points per notice, connected to the bridge incident. They added that the investigation is ongoing.

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

Influencer's Comments

The content creator gave comments to a major newspaper this week after the incident gained traction on digital platforms, saying he was sorry for giving "bike life" a bad reputation.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. It was one of the safest ride-outs I have witnessed," he said. "I’m coming here as a guest, so I’m going to abide by the rules and standards of the city. 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, it was my fault 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, which is a crime. Or we turn around, essentially, before we’re on the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to turn around."

National Debate on Electric Bike Rules

The spate of electric bicycles on roads nationwide has sparked increasing demands for stricter rules. A senior government official, the minister, recently said that non-compliant electric bikes were a "total menace on the road."

"Kids have done reckless acts on bikes ever since the penny-farthing [but] the injuries that are presenting at our hospital emergency departments are truly severe," he stated. "We’ve got to ensure we prevent these things coming into the country [and] police are given the authority to crack down, to confiscate them, to crush them, to dispose of them."

NSW recorded over two hundred injuries related to electric bikes in the previous year. But, in the initial half of the following year, that number jumped to 233 injuries plus four fatalities.