Stunning GoPro footage has captured the moment an American YouTuber at the centre of an illegal rideout leads 40 e-bike and motorcycle riders on to the Sydney Harbour Bridge during peak hour before declaring the situation “f—ed” and abruptly orchestrating a U-turn back to the city.
The mass rideout continued for more than an hour on Tuesday afternoon before officers dispersed the group at Mrs Macquaries Chair. Police labelled it “stupid” and “downright dangerous”, saying riders could have been “seriously injured or indeed killed”.
Footage captured by Los Angeles-based content creator Sur Ronster and obtained by the Herald shows the riders, who initially converged under the Harbour Bridge for a meet-up planned by the influencer, follow him through roads on the northern edge of the CBD, before the group reach the main deck of the Harbour Bridge.
“Oh, this is f—ed,” Ronster is heard saying to himself, as he realises the scale of danger and begins to instruct the group to perform the U-turn.
“I think we should turn around, we can’t do this whole bridge with traffic. Let’s turn around.”
Ronster, who keeps his identity and appearance secret to safeguard against issues posed by his motorcycle stunts, told the Herald on Friday he had no intention of leading the group through the city on Tuesday afternoon, saying fans followed him home after the planned meet-up.
“After everything was said and done, and I was on my way out, that’s when everyone with a bike joined me,” said Ronster, 26, who put the social media callout to fans on his second day in Australia.
“I’m unfamiliar with the city, it was my fault … once I saw what it became, my goal was to sort of put an end to it.”
Ronster said he mistakenly found himself riding towards the bridge after becoming disoriented, triggering a split-second decision to U-turn back towards the city in what he described as a “very safe” manoeuvre.
“Fortunately, there was gridlock traffic at the time, so our lane was entirely stopped, and the oncoming lane was probably only going a few kilometres an hour at the time,” he said.
“I do regret waking up and seeing how it was shown on a lot of the news sources. I felt like I failed and made bike life have a bad reputation, and as a guest in a new city, that’s the opposite of my goal.”
The group travelled south on the Western Distributor while peak-hour commuters watched from cars, and were also spotted riding through Haymarket and near the Chinese Garden of Friendship.
It is illegal to ride bikes and e-bikes on the main deck of the Harbour Bridge. Police are scraping CCTV and online footage to identify those involved in the rideout, including the handful of youths riding without helmets and in school uniform.
There were no reports of injuries or damage to property following the rideout, and no arrests have been made and no charges have been laid.
Ronster has so far eluded investigators, who have visited the homes of the two friends who lent him motorcycles while in Sydney.
He said it would be a “shame” if the children involved face prosecution, but said he respected the road rules in NSW, including the fresh crackdown on e-bikes signalled following the Harbour Bridge rideout.
Tougher measures to remove illegal e-bikes from the road are expected to be announced within days, according to a government source familiar with the nature of discussions.
Transport officials have assessed measures from other states. Police powers applied in Western Australia allow the seizing and destruction of illegal e-bikes among the options closely examined.
Premier Chris Minns conceded the state is failing to protect road users from the dangers posed by e-bikes, after declaring the status quo “intolerable and dangerous for a lot of people”.
“We have to make some changes,” Minns told Sydney radio on Friday. “We can get the mix right, to make sure a young person actually has fun when they’re young and doesn’t end up in a wheelchair or getting killed as a result.”
Ronster praised measures to protect children against high-powered devices, declaring Australia appeared “ahead of the curve on enforcement”.
“Young kids shouldn’t be riding strong, powerful e-bikes in the street – it’s dangerous, and they die, they die in America all the time. It’s tragic and it’s avoidable,” he said.
“What’s important is giving kids an opportunity to ride and commute independently. It’s one of the great privileges of being a young adult.”
Ronster plans to make a brief stop on the Gold Coast, where he hopes to conduct another get-together before returning to the US early next week.
The furore caused by Tuesday’s rideout has made him “cautious about the optics” of future activities while in Australia, but he also argued his events carry positive benefits for children.
“It’s all about getting kids off their phone, getting them outside and talking to each other face to face, and doing something active,” he said.
“I think everything about this should be supported, but there is a line that needs to be drawn. I totally understand that, and I respect where Australia draws their line.”
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Daniel Lo Surdo is a breaking news reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. He previously helmed the national news live blog for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via email.