US Social Media Personality Fined Following Mass E-Bike Gathering on Sydney Harbour Bridge

New South Wales authorities have issued a fine against an American social media personality and served two driving violation citations for reported reckless operation following a large group of electric bicycle users converged on the Sydney Harbour Bridge during peak-hour traffic on a weekday.

The Event: An Illegal Gathering

A group of around 40 people riding electric bikes and motorbikes travelled along the primary roadway of the bridge, an area where bicycle riding is banned. The assembly then turned around and traveled through the downtown area and Haymarket.

"There was a risk of serious injury or fatalities," stated NSW police assistant commissioner the officer on the following day.

Law enforcement indicated they did not chase right away the group due to safety concerns but instead located the assembly at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair near the Botanic Gardens, where they dispersed.

Penalties Issued for Influencer

On Saturday, police announced they had served the US social media influencer who goes by Sur Ronster, 26, with two violation tickets for negligent driving (with no death or previous bodily harm), with a fine of $562 and penalty points per notice, connected to the bridge ride-out. They added that the investigation is ongoing.

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

Influencer's Comments

The online figure spoke with a local publication this week following the event gained traction on news sites and social media, saying he regretted giving "the biking community" a bad reputation.

"I’ll probably take responsibility. That was one of the safest ride-outs I’ve ever seen," he told the publication. "I’m coming here as a guest, so I’m going to abide by the laws and norms of Sydney. So when I decided to do a meet and greet it was not meant to include a group ride, it was just to say hi near the bridge."

"I did not know the area well, I am to blame we ended up on the bridge and I had two choices: either the group completes the entirety of the bridge and comes back, which is a crime. Or we reverse, basically, before entering the bridge. And I made the decision at the time to turn around."

Broader Context on Electric Bike Rules

The increase of e-bikes on streets across the country has sparked growing calls for stricter rules. The federal health minister, Mark Butler, commented that illegal ebikes were a "complete hazard on the road."

"Kids have done stupid things on bikes ever since the early bicycle [but] the injuries that are coming into our ERs are truly severe," the minister stated. "We’ve got to make sure we stop these things coming into the country [and] officers are granted the powers to take strong action, to confiscate them, to destroy them, to dispose of them."

The state reported 226 injuries related to ebikes in the previous year. But, in the initial half of the following year, that number jumped to two hundred thirty-three injuries plus four fatalities.